Remnants of the Storm
by StormLightJewel
Summary: Sequel to Price of Duty. In an attempt to find new allies, the crew of the Ghost head to the planet Kalifa to plead their case to its Court. For Rex, this is an opportunity to find Rebecca Storm, the woman he had loved and lost during the Clone War. But Kalifa is a different place now, with its people filled with caution, distrust, and hostility, and nothing is as it seems to be.
1. Prologue

_A/N: Remnants of the Storm is the sequel to my other story, Price of Duty, and I encourage you to read it before you begin this one. So, without further ado, here's the Prologue!_

* * *

 **Prologue**

 _7 BBY_

"Commander?" Rebecca Storm paused in tapping at the control panel in front of her as she turned to Lieutenant Gilda, who held a hologram projector in her hand.

"Yes, Lieutenant? What's wrong?" Rebecca was immediately on guard, wondering if the Empire had somehow tracked them to the remote location they had been at for the past few days. They always seemed to get stronger every day, even with the Kalifa rebel cell's victories in other systems against them.

"It's Dakota Farthing, Commander. She's asking for you again." Rebecca sighed. It had been quite a while since she had last spoken to or met with her friend due to her responsibilities in the Shadow Squadron, and it had started to take a toll on their friendship. They always seemed to argue whenever they spoke lately, and their last meeting had not exactly ended too well. True, Dakota had tried to contact Rebecca a few times since, but she had avoided or ignored each one.

It was the one thing she was best at. But maybe it was time she put that kind of thinking behind her.

"I'll take it in my quarters, thanks." Rebecca waved away the Lieutenant and walked into her quarters. She picked up the comlink at her desk hesitantly. What if Dakota was still angry? But she quickly waved away that thought; Dakota had never been that way. That was more of Rebecca's own way, to be honest. She switched on the comm, and was greeted by the hologram of her oldest living friend.

 _"Rebecca,"_ Dakota nodded at her, having no indication that she was still angry, though she smiled cautiously. _"How have you been?"_

Rebecca warily chuckled. "Tired, to be honest, Dakota. Fighting against the Empire can be rough work sometimes."

 _"Wars always are."_ Dakota's eyes were filled with understanding. _"Don't think I've forgotten what they're like."_

"Yeah," Rebecca shifted, uncomfortable with what she would have to do. She was never very good at this kind of thing. "Look, I'm…sorry about what happened last time. I should have trusted you knew what you were doing."

 _"It's fine; I understand why you wanted to do what you wanted to do. It's a very natural, and expected, reaction, given the circumstances,"_ Dakota patiently answered. Rebecca shook her head in disbelief. Dakota was such a forgiving, second-chance type of person. Sometimes it grated on her nerves, like when she was respectful to people Rebecca _knew_ didn't deserve it, like Scales Daladob. Nevertheless, she had to admit it was a quality she admired about her friend.

 _"So,"_ Dakota continued, _"how are the girls?"_

Rebecca genuinely laughed, relieved for the subject change. "What you would expect, Dakota. They want to know everything that's happening and won't stop asking questions. They love it." Her expression became worried as she thought about them. She just hoped that their minds would change when they got older. They would always be too young for this kind of life to her.

 _"What about Rex? Have you given any thought to what I said about him, because he_ needs _to know, Rebecca."_ Dakota said earnestly. _"You can't keep this from him forever. He deserves to know."_

Rebecca rubbed her forehead. Yes, Dakota was right about that. She did need to tell him, regardless of Daku's threats. She couldn't live in fear of him any longer; that was no type of life to live. "I'll send a transmission, but I can't vouch for how it'll go about. It's been _years_ since I've been in contact with him. He'll probably get angry at me, to be honest."

 _"There are consequences for every decision, Rebecca, but you have to learn to get through it, regardless."_

"I know." Rebecca fingered the silver ring with the sapphire-blue stone on her necklace nervously. It was time. "I'll do it soon."

Dakota smiled reassuringly as her hologram flickered. _"I hope so."_

Suddenly, the alarm blared in her room. Dakota cocked her head. _"What's that?"_

Rebecca's heart started hammering in her rib cage as her head shot up. _Oh, no._ "I have to go, Dakota. I'll comm you later!" She cut off the call before Dakota could answer, and ran out to the bridge.

Her worst nightmare was finally realized: the Empire had found them.

* * *

 _A/N: So, I've finally started updating_ Remnants of the Storm _! Yay! I've decided to start updating now because I'm not sure if I'll be able to update during the summer months; there's a lot going on then: me moving back to the USA, attending a college, getting a job, et cetera. You know, regular old stuff in life, and I'm going to be updating about every two weeks until then._

 _Also, I'm going to tell you why Rebecca and Dakota were having arguments at this point, because I doubt I'll be able to incorporate it into the story, and I have an extended head-canon about this trilogy. An Imperial agent had been shot down by Kalifan rebels and crashed onto the planet, getting badly injured. Dakota pulled him from the wreckage, and took him back to her house, nursing him back to health and tending to his injuries, because she tends to be a "Good Samaritan" about these kinds of things. Rebecca found out that Dakota was healing this Imperial, and asked (actually, demanded) that Dakota turn him over to her to be interrogated. Of course, Dakota refused, since he wasn't finished healing, and moving him could turn his healing injuries fatal. So, they got into a huge fight about, with Rebecca ending up threatening Dakota with a blaster before leaving (war-like times can be pretty rough on Rebecca's psyche). Hence, the tensions mentioned in the prologue._

 _As always, reviews are food for a fanfiction writer's soul! Let me know what you think!_


	2. Memories of the Past

_A/N:_ Remnants of the Storm _will be taking place during that six-month period in Star Wars Rebels between the Season 2 finale and the Season 3 premiere, which I thought would be an interesting time period to tackle. And I'm updating on Tuesday instead of Friday because I'll be on vacation by then, and won't be able to update then. Enjoy! And I forgot to put this in the last chapter, so I'm saying this right now: I do not own Star Wars Rebels, sadly, only my OCs._

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Memories of the Past**

 _2 BBY (5 years later)_

 _Rex closed his eyes and breathed in the fresh, albeit dry, air, feeling the sun on his bald scalp. He felt the old Republic walker shifting underneath his boots as the wind began to pick up, creaking in warning of its old age. His eyes opened, revealing the vast, deserted expanse of Seelos. It was desolate, but it was also the closest thing he had to home when the war ended. Maybe that was why he also liked Atollon; the two planets were similar with their dry, desert-like environments. He leaned over the rail of the walker, feeling strangely content for once in his life, which was further confirmed when he noticed the second figure standing next to him, smiling softly at him._

 _"It's good to see you again, Rex." Even with his old age, Rex had sworn to himself that he'd never forget what her voice sounded like: soft, yet also sad. He smiled and turned to her, taking in her image, as he always did during these rare dreams._

 _She had aged since their farewell all those years ago. Her face showed slight wrinkles around her eyes and mouth, but her shoulder-length hair was still as dark as ever, and her violet eyes glittered softly at him. And there was another thing he had noticed in his first dream that was different about her: she looked...content for the first time, like she no longer had to carry the burdens that had been thrust upon her shoulders._

 _"Rebecca." His lips turned up, feeling at peace by her presence. She had always had a way of calming him during the war, and he couldn't help but feel that way now, even more than a decade later. She wore black boots, dark pants, a blue tunic, and a white cloak, and she looked radiant, her skin almost glowing._

 _He chuckled as he reached out with one gauntlet-covered hand and fingered the ring on her necklace. "I remember when I gave you this on...Folinoe, I believe."_

 _She smiled in response to the memory and chuckled lightly. "I remember. And, actually, it was on Jaywier that you found the ring, Rex. Your age is certainly starting to catch up with you."_

 _Rex chuckled in amusement at her comment. "All those battles start to blur together after the next decade or so. But I don't forget how you helped us get through them when you were with us."_

 _"I know."_

 _He took her hand in his, interlocking their fingers together, happy to be able to touch her again, even if it was just a dream. "How have you been on Kalifa, Rebecca?"_

 _She sighed, an air of sadness about her for a moment. "I...it's complicated, Rex, and I can't tell you everything yet. You need to find out for yourself when you get there."_

 _"What makes you think I'll go to Kalifa?" Rex asked, confused, with a raised eyebrow. "I'm working with the Rebellion now."_

 _"And you'll go because Kalifa can help the Rebellion. But things are..." she shook her head as she continued, "...things aren't going well over there right now. Your friends can help the people there remember who they are...or, were, I suppose. And you can help, too."_

 _Rex nodded, remembering what he and Sabine had discussed about Kalifa the day before. That planet could be beneficial to the Rebellion if they joined. But something didn't sit right with Rex...the way Rebecca had worded her sentences had seemed...off, somehow._

 _"Will I find you there?" At his question, Rebecca turned her head away from him, looking out at the vast landscape before them._

 _"I think that's up to you to decide, Rex." She turned back, smiling sadly at him, as the old clone's vision blurred, making it difficult to see anything. He reached up to rub at his eyes, and..._

* * *

...he jolted awake in his bunk. Sitting up, he ran his hand across his bald head, trying to get a handle on his emotions. He didn't dream about Rebecca much, but they had become more frequent over the last five years. As he looked up, he saw his datapad and picked it up, switching it on. There was a new message from Commander Sato, calling for a meeting at 0800 hours. He massaged his neck as he stood up, bones cracking as he stretched.

Looks like it was time to see an old friend again.

* * *

 _The wind whipped around him, electricity arcing through the air, as he clutched the Sith holocron in his hand, desperately trying to keep hold of it, even as Darth Vader forced him to come closer and closer with his Force pull. Kanan grabbed at Ezra, but Vader still came closer. And closer…_

 _Suddenly, Ahsoka literally came out of nowhere, her white lightsabers flashing as she jumped on the Sith Lord and slashed at his head. Immediately, Ezra felt the Force pull on the holocron lessen. He clutched it closer to him as he fell back against Kanan, supporting one of the older man's arms. Ahsoka fell back to the ground, but immediately began getting up._

" _Ahsoka! Come on, hurry!" He called out to her. They had to get out of that place. He turned Kanan in the direction of the_ Phantom _, safely guiding him in, and turned back, expecting to see Ahsoka right behind him. But she was still inside the temple._

 _And she was facing Vader. Ezra's eyes widened when he realized the Sith Lord was standing up. He was too dangerous to get close to again; his lightsaber had found that out the hard way. But Ahsoka wasn't leaving. And she wasn't attacking Vader, either. However, the Sith obviously didn't share her strange sentiment. He ignited his lightsaber and advanced on her._

" _Ahsoka!"_

 _Ezra ran towards the two, knowing he had to do_ something _, but Ahsoka pushed him back with the Force as the doors to the temple closed, and he fell back, reaching out as he saw Ahsoka fight with Vader again._

" _No! Noooo!" Ezra cried as the temple sealed itself_ _—_ _along with Ahsoka's fate. He wished he hadn't fallen for Maul's tricks. He wished he was powerful enough to stop Vader. To stop everything horrible from happening._

* * *

Ezra Bridger bolted upright, breathing heavily. He ran his hand over his newly cut hair, trying to calm himself. It had only been a dream.

Except it had actually happened. Vader had… _killed_ Ahsoka on Malachor. And he couldn't stop it, because he hadn't had enough power. He wasn't strong enough.

But he'd learn how to become stronger and more powerful from the Sith holocron. He could already feel the power from the holocron transferring itself into him every time he opened and communicated with it. He knew he could use it against the Empire; those Imperial _scum_ deserved it. They all did.

"Ezra? Are you awake yet?" Ezra jerked in surprise at Hera's voice at his closed door. Looking underneath his bunk, he realized Zeb had already left; he must have overslept.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm up, Hera," Ezra called back to her.

"Well, you better get ready; there's going to be a briefing soon, and you should be there. You _are_ a Lieutenant, after all." Hera's footsteps faded away as she walked out of the _Ghost_.

Ezra jumped off his bunk and quickly changed into his regular clothing: orange long-sleeved shirt, brown pants, and dark brown armored boots. He clipped his second lightsaber to his belt, and slipped his blaster into its holster. He made his way off his then-deserted home and stepped onto the dry, desert-like planet of Atollon, sun immediately shining in his eyes. Shielding them with his hand, he walked to where Phoenix Squadron had set up a meeting place for briefings. Rounding the corner, he saw some familiar faces clustered around the control console: Hera, Sabine, Zeb, Commander Sato, and Rex. He stepped into the crowd, and Hera turned to him.

"Ezra, I was just telling Commander Sato about how we can get more people to join our cause." Hera filled him in, and Ezra nodded. Their numbers were steadily increasing, but they had to be careful; once an Imperial agent had attempted to infiltrate their cell by trying to convince them he was interested in joining, and it had shown that Phoenix Squadron was becoming a bigger priority to the Empire.

"We need to find planetary governments that will want to join us; we can't always rely on Alderaan for our resources," Hera continued. Commander Sato nodded in agreement.

"Agreed, Captain Syndulla; convincing those governments to join us will be a top priority for Phoenix Squadron." Sato turned to the others present. "Does anyone have any ideas for any systems that might listen to us?"

Ezra shrugged his shoulders—he was never good with these kinds of decisions—and the others shook their heads. Except for Rex, who nudged Sabine. She nodded, and stepped up.

"Rex and I have been talking about this, actually, and we think that we might have one we can focus on." She turned on the holoprojector, and showed the others an image of a planet. "This is the planet Kalifa, and it does _not_ have an Imperial presence yet. We think this might have to do with the fact that it doesn't have any sort of use to the Empire, but it also could be because the Kalifan government may have somehow convinced the Empire to leave them alone for some reason or another; maybe by paying them off."

"And that makes them a good candidate how, exactly?" Ezra asked, curious about this planet.

"They never had a good relationship with the Republic, which later turned into the Empire, so they might be more inclined to hear what we have to say," Sabine explained. Hera turned to Commander Sato.

"Do you think this could be a good choice, Commander?" Hera asked him quizzically.

He nodded. "I do think this might be a good decision; Kalifa, while not being advantageous to the Empire, could serve as a safe hyperspace stop for us to get to the base here more quickly, as well as help us scout out other remote planets that could serve as a backup base, should we ever be discovered here."

Rex spoke up, adding his bit. "And I know a Kalifan who may be able to help convince the Kalifan Court: a Commander I served with during the Clone War, Rebecca Storm."

* * *

 _She looked at the sun rise over her home for what just may be the last time. Or, at least, for a number of months. She smiled at how gorgeous the sky looked as it stood out against the sun, with pink, orange, purple, and blue colors._

 _Looking at her wristchrono, she saw that her hoverbus would be coming soon. And then, she'd be able to be her own person._ Without _her mother interfering._

" _Violet!" Violet turned around and saw her mother coming toward her, her aura brightly shining white as always, along with her younger sister, Rebecca, who had a huge grin and a mischievous look on her face, along with her own white light. Trailing behind the two was Dakota Farthing, holding her customary datapad, positioning her glasses to lay above her nose correctly, tan cloak flapping in the wind, her aura shining in fluctuating golden tones._

 _Sometimes Violet thought she should get a sun visor or something just to deal with how bright spirit lights were, but she really didn't mind. They were actually both calming and invigorating for her, save for her mother's light at that point._

It's okay, V. You can get through this. Mom's just here to say goodbye; she's not going to stop you from leaving, _Violet thought nervously to herself, trying to calm her nerves. But she couldn't help it. Her mom could be…a difficult person to deal with sometimes. Especially when she had her mind set on something._

" _Hey, Mom; guys." Violet nodded at them, smile flickering on her lips at her friends (and Mom). Rebecca darted up to her and slung an arm around her older sister's shoulders, smile faltering not even an inch, dark hair moving with the wind._

" _What, did you think we'd let you leave without a proper sendoff?" Rebecca chuckled and hugged Violet tightly, nearly squeezing her internal organs outside of her body._

 _Violet gasped for breath as she attempted to push her sister away before she passed out, even as she was laughing at the younger girl's antics. "Choking…not…breathing!"_

 _Rebecca laughed out loud as she finally stepped back, hands on Violet's shoulders, thankfully, allowing her to finally breathe. "What, can't handle your own little sister?" She punched Violet's shoulder playfully, yet forcefully. "Get_ real _already, V."_

 _Violet shook her head playfully at Rebecca, and pushed her away, revealing their mother. Skylar Storm. She took a deep breath, reminding herself to stay calm, and walked up to her mom._

" _Well, Mom, I guess this is good-bye for now." She held her hand out, and tried for a smile, but her mom didn't take it. She trained her dark blue eyes on Violet's identical own, brow crinkling, long white-blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail._

" _So, you're really doing this?" Violet's mother's voice was filled with disbelief and doubt. Still. When the hoverbus was literally_ just _pulling up behind Violet._

Keep it together, V. Just a few more minutes.

 _Her mother's voice softened and dropped into a whisper as she stepped closer to her daughter. "Honey, you don't have to do this to find yourself; you can do that at home, with people who love you. You can realize what your destiny is here, where I can help guide you."_

And here we go, _Violet thought resentfully._ Always thinking she knows best. _She forced a false smile onto her face as she answered. "No, Mom. I_ want _to go to the Capital and study there. I can't live my life in a village all the time. I have to leave_ some _time."_

 _Her mother nodded, sadness entering her expression. "Yes, I suppose it had to happen sometime." She pulled her older daughter into a tight hug, white aura dimming for a moment. Violet clenched her jaw, arms rigidly circling Skylar's waist, barely tolerating her mother's attempt to make nice as she straightened back up. "I wish the best of the Force with you."_

 _Violet sighed warily, and turned away from her to the last person there: Dakota Farthing. "Well, I almost don't want to leave you behind, Koda, but I suppose that your place is here."_

 _Dakota nodded silently, her golden light also dimming, adding a quiet, "For now," with a small smile before allowing herself to be pulled into a hug by Violet. Pulling away, Violet patted her on the head before turning back to the hoverbus, ready to leave. She picked up her suitcase and bags, and turned back to her friend and family, nodding at them._

" _I'll see you when my schooling dies down. Hopefully, it won't be too long," she smiled at them, then turned back and finally stepped up into the 'bus._

 _She was ready for a fresh start. A new start. A bright future, one of her own_ _choosing._

* * *

 _A/N:_ _That last scene is a flashback, and, yes, it is going to be about Violet Storm and her turn to darkness. I'm not actually sure if her story is going to be shorter than the present-day story, if it'll be longer, or if it'll use up the same number of chapters, since I, regrettably, don't have Part 2 fully written out yet (school, life, blah blah blah). Just a little heads-up that I wanted to tell you. In the flashbacks, Violet is fifteen years old, Dakota is fourteen years old, Rebecca is thirteen years old, and Skylar is physically twenty-one years old (which will be explained later on, so don't freak out about it just yet)._

 _So, what did you think about this chapter and what it entails, I wonder? What kind of state do you think Rebecca is in at this point? Got any speculation, surprises, suspicions? You can just leave me a review below about it if you want, which is food for a fanfiction writer's soul, and I'll get back to you if I can. Happy Easter!_


	3. Strange Meetings

_A/N: I decided to update a day earlier because I just couldn't wait anymore, and I wanted to get it out there now. Oh, and thank you jpeck2000 and wrmwolf for putting this story on alert, and thank you CaptainReb for reviewing; it's much appreciated! Enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Strange Meetings**

Ezra felt the _Ghost_ shudder from where he was sitting in the cockpit as it exited hyperspace to reveal the planet from Sabine's holo looming in front of them. He couldn't explain it, but he felt that there was something ominous about Kalifa; maybe it was the Force, maybe it was instinct, maybe it was just plain paranoia, but he just knew there was something _dangerous_ down on that planet.

"We're sure the Empire doesn't have troops on this planet yet?" Ezra directed his question to Hera. The Empire was about the only dangerous thing he could think of that might be the cause of what he was feeling.

"Yes, we're absolutely certain the Empire has no agents, military or otherwise, on Kalifa. It's just a matter of convincing the Kalifans to join us." Hera _sounded_ certain, but Ezra could sense her cautious feelings. He had to be sure. He needed a reliable source.

"I'll be right back." Ezra abruptly stood from his seat and walked out of the cockpit before Hera could call him back. He made his way to his room, effectively ignoring everyone else around him in his haste. He shut the door, thankful that the room was empty, and looked at his collection of Imperial helmets on the shelf, colorfully painted with Sabine's help. He picked up the middle helmet, and turned it over, revealing the secret he had been keeping from everyone since they had debriefed the others about Malachor's events. They knew he had the Sith holocron, but they didn't know where he was keeping it, and they definitely didn't know that he had been able to open and talk to it.

They wouldn't believe he could have done it if he told them. They didn't understand. But he now had access to priceless knowledge that could be used against his enemies in the form of the Sith holocron. As long as it gave him what he wanted, he didn't care what else happened, because, really, what else _could_ happen besides the fall of the Empire from using the thing? And what was so wrong about that?

Ezra pulled the holocron out of the helmet, and concentrated on opening it. It got easier every time, and he'd found that it seemed to yield itself to him more if he concentrated on his hatred for the Empire, and how much they all deserved to die for what they did to him and his friends.

Sure enough, the holocron twisted itself open as he watched, the corner and top pieces levitating around the rest of the holocron. He always felt a sense of satisfaction at how he was able to do what no one else could.

The Sith holocron's voice soon entered his mind, its, strangely enough, _female_ voice giving him advice and useful wisdom. _"What is the question you have for me today, master?"_

Ezra couldn't help but bask in the voice's presence; it was so soft and sounded beautiful, like music, in a way. It was just so calming to listen to. He focused his mind back to why he had sought out the holocron in the first place. "I want to know about the planet Kalifa, about what I'm feeling is down there. Do you know what it is?"

" _There is great power residing on that planet. You must find it and learn to use it to become more powerful, to bring justice down upon your enemies._ _"_ The voice spoke back to him calmly.

Ezra nodded, knowing that the holocron was right. He had to become more powerful, and while he would help Kalifa join the rebels, he would also be searching for this strange power.

He closed the holocron, silencing the voice, and stowed it back in his helmet before leaving his room to return to the cockpit. Back in the cockpit, he now saw that Sabine and Rex had joined Hera. Rex was tapping away on a datapad, seemingly becoming more frustrated with each _ping_ it made every few minutes.

Sabine, on the other hand, was fervently working at the control panel, which was currently smoking and sparking erratically. Chopper was beside her, giving his running commentary of the situation, with Sabine sniping back with irritation. "Yeah, I _know_ that there's something wrong with the nav computer, Chopper, I can see the smoke!"

Ezra looked at the busted panel with bemusement as he took a seat. "What could have possibly happened in the few minutes I was gone?"

"Actually, you were gone for more like _thirty_ minutes, Ezra, which is enough time for the navigation console to short out from some fried circuitry, forcing us to have to guide the ship manually." Sabine tossed at him as she continued working, short white-and-purple-dyed hair flipping around with each head turn. "Looks like we're going to have to get some replacement parts for the ship again while we're on Kalifa. At least we won't have to go to the trouble of stealing them this time."

Hera nodded absently, focused on guiding the _Ghost_ closer to the planet so that they began to fly through the upper atmosphere, flicking various switches to start the landing prep. "Rex, have you been able to get through to your friend yet?"

Rex shook his head, brown eyes filled with disappointment as he answered. "I've been trying to send a message to her, but it won't go through; she must have switched to a different means of communication since the last time I messaged her."

"And how long ago was that?" Ezra asked, curious. Rex had seemed…conflicted about going to Kalifa for some reason. Even though he had insisted that he and Rebecca Storm were friends during the war, Ezra couldn't help but wonder if Rebecca may be one of those people that was always kept at arm's length for one reason or another. She might have ended up being more of a reluctant ally to Rex than an actual friend.

Rex sighed warily, obviously reluctant to answer. "Since before the end of the Clone War."

Now Zeb spoke up, having finally entered the cockpit. "That long? _Karabast_ , how do you know she's even still on the planet, then?"

Rex looked up, a steely look entering his eyes, even as they still saddened. "I know she wouldn't have left her husband behind, and I know that _he_ wouldn't have left either."

"Oh. Well, hopefully, this story won't be too boring when we tell it to Kanan, eh, kid?" Zeb nudged Ezra as he gave the crew a throaty chuckle. Ezra forced a smile to his face at the mention of Kanan, even as it was tinged with bitterness.

Ever since what happened on Malachor, Kanan had begun to distance himself from everyone else more and more as the months went on. Ezra had tried get Kanan to come with them on missions, or help him with his Jedi training, but every single time he had been quietly, yet firmly, shot down. He got that Kanan felt bad about what happened on Malachor—Ezra regretted what he himself had helped cause on the planet every day—but he couldn't deny that it hurt watching Kanan subtly snub him every time he saw him. Knowing he'd helped that happen by trusting Maul.

But he'd make it right. He'd make Kanan—all of them—proud after he made the Empire pay. He'd see to that.

* * *

"All right, I'm going to have to stop some distance away from the capital city; the spaceports there aren't used to a ship this big." Hera explained as she set the ship down just outside of a small town not far from the capital. "Sabine, you're coming with me to find some parts for the nav computer. The rest of you had better scope out the town, maybe get an idea of how their culture works. We don't want to accidentally offend anybody here."

Rex nodded with Ezra and Zeb as he made to step off the _Ghost_ , a blast of cold wind jarring his bones. Looking around, he saw that the landscape was blanketed in white snow, with snowflakes whirling around following the wind. He shivered from the temperature, not used to this type of weather after living on Seelos and Atollon.

Ezra turned to Rex, a determined glint in his eye. "Well, Rex, where do you think we should go? You've been here before, after all."

Rex nodded in agreement. Looking around, he saw buildings that were actually slightly familiar from his memories of his first and only time on the planet. He had been in this town when he'd first met Rebecca and her... _husband_.

It still hurt to say that word.

"Well, I'd say we should go to the cantina here first; it's as good a place as any to find out information about what's happening here. Follow me." Burying his sorrow to deal with later (preferably with a drink or two), he jerked his head at the other two and starting trudging through the snow, making his way to the nearby cantina Rebecca had led him to all those years ago. Pushing open the door, the rebels were greeted with a rush of warm air created by a fire burning inside the building. The cantina was populated with only a few humans here and there, drinking and conversing with other groups at times, but it was still relatively quiet.

Rex looked around, noticing Ezra and Zeb doing the same, and led them to a table close to the bar counter, sitting down. A bored-looking waitress sidled up to them, asking for their order, floating away with a small sigh when they asked her to come back later.

Ezra leaned forward in anticipation. "So...where do we start?"

"We should find someone who looks like they enjoy talking; loose lips are bound to know something about your friend," Zeb put in gruffly, obviously uncomfortable from the stares people were starting to give him. Rex wasn't really sure why they were giving him any attention; hopefully they'd be able to find someone who could explain that, too.

Suddenly, Ezra whipped his head around to search the bar section. Furrowing his brow in confusion, Rex followed Ezra's gaze and saw a young woman looking close to Ezra or Sabine's age emerging from the back of the cantina and moving to stand behind the bar. She had light skin, kind brown eyes, and dark caramel hair that fell to her chin, and she wore a black knee-length pleated skirt, black heeled boots, and a blue long-sleeved shirt. She covered her skirt by tying an apron around her waist, oblivious to the attention from the rebels.

"What is it, Ezra?" Rex asked quietly, wondering why this girl had managed to rile up Ezra like that.

Ezra's blue eyes narrowed suspiciously as they took in the mystery girl, something...strange entering his expression that made Rex feel on edge. "I think...we should talk to her. I've got this feeling about her."

Rex nodded in agreement. More often than not, Ezra's Force senses had been very useful if they heeded them, and he trusted the kid's judgment. "Let's go, then," the old clone said, standing up and striding over to the bar counter, where the girl was inspecting and polishing the glasses with a rag.

Looking up as the trio approached her, she flashed a welcoming smile, setting her glass on the counter, though she seemed to stutter a bit when she noticed Zeb. "H-hi, what can I get for you today?"

"Actually, we're looking for information on someone," Rex started, trying to convey friendliness to her. "I knew a woman several years ago that lives here, and I was hoping to look her up while we're here."

The bartender nodded. "Well, that's nice; I'm sure she'll be happy to see you. Who are you looking for? Maybe I can help," she flashed her smile again, "We bartenders tend to know a lot of things about people; nobody seems to know how to keep their mouths shut in these places."

"Really?" Ezra raised an unconvincing eyebrow. "It seems like the people here are pretty quiet today."

She nodded, a sad expression crossing over her face. "Yeah, it's been that way for a while. There's been a lot of talk lately about the Court possibly planning to join the Empire, and nobody really wants that to happen, so morale's pretty low right now." Seemingly shaking herself out of it, she plastered on another bright smile. "So, who are you looking for, again?"

"We're looking for a woman who goes by Rebecca Storm, or," Rex cringed as he prepared to say the next part, "maybe she goes by Rebecca Lyiknan now. I heard she got married several years ago. Do you know her?"

The bartender's kind face instantly changed to shock, which quickly morphed to a pained expression and, finally, a darkness appeared to settle on her shoulders as her expression closed to something resembling hostility as she spoke low, like she didn't want to be heard. "Who wants to know?" She asked, clenching her jaw, looking at the three rebels suspiciously, dark eyes narrowing as she studied them.

This certainly wasn't how things were supposed to go. Rex uncomfortably cleared his throat, and he was about to speak when Ezra beat him to it. "Why do you want to know, exactly?"

The bartender's next words were cold and biting, with a hint of sorrow. "Nobody talks about Rebecca Storm anymore. Especially _now_. So I'll ask again: who wants to know?"

Rex was certain now that the bartender somehow knew of Rebecca; what he couldn't figure out was why she was being so hostile towards them. But, he figured that if she _did_ know Rebecca, she should know about her time in the Clone War, too. "I served with her in the Clone War; she was a good friend of mine."

At this statement, her brows jumped up, seemingly shocked by his admission. The hostility left her eyes, quickly replaced by sadness and sorrow. "Oh...so you must be Rex then."

Rex pulled his brows together in confusion at her dejected, flat tone. "Yes, I am. Do you know where we can find her? We need to talk to her about something."

The bartender hesitated for a moment, then leaned closer, speaking in a whisper that the captain had to strain his ears to hear. "I need you to leave right now, and come back in a few hours. And make sure you're not being followed. I'll tell you everything then."

Ezra spoke up, eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Wait, what are you—"

"Just do it!" She hissed dangerously, fear in her eyes. "There's no time to explain; you never know who's listening! Just do it, _please_!"

Rex was taken aback at the bartender's tone, wondering what had her so on edge all of a sudden. Was it just because he'd mentioned Rebecca? Wordlessly, he nodded at her, and beckoned Zeb and Ezra to follow him out the door into the cold. He didn't know what was happening, but he had a feeling that, whatever it was, it wouldn't be good.

And it somehow had to do with Rebecca.

* * *

 _Violet couldn't believe that she was finally in the Capital City. She'd dreamed of this day for ages, and, so far, she wasn't disappointed. It was so_ bright _, and colorful, there was so much to see and do; she could have honestly spent all day just breathing in the utter_ life _that flowed through the city. It was a stark change from her hometown; people had been happy there, yes, but there had always been a feeling that it was only a shelter, meant to keep her safe, and was nothing like real life._

 _And there was so much_ light _everywhere she looked, of all colors: green, orange, gray, blue, you name it. There were so many auras from the crowds, and it was just so beautiful to see. Violet felt a huge grin pulling at her cheeks. She wanted to know everything about the new environment around her._

 _Unfortunately, she couldn't dawdle; she had to reach registration at the Kalifan Academy before it closed that day, or she wouldn't be able to attend. Picking up her pace, Violet weaved her way through the crowds in the town center, pulling out a holomap of the city that showed her the route to the Academy. She just had to take another left, and_ —

 _"Look out!" Violet looked up from her map just in time for something to hurtle into her side, knocking her to the ground. As she grunted in pain, and got up, gathering her things, she slid her gaze to the side and saw an unfamiliar bag laying off to the side, its contents spilling out onto the ground haphazardly. As she stood back up, a blue Twi'lek girl, with a green-yellow spirit aura emanating from her, that looked to be a few years older than her suddenly ran up and kneeled down, hurriedly shoving items back into the bag, knee-length gray dress swirling around her legs. As she looked up, the Twi'lek began chattering hurriedly at Violet._

 _"I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where my bag was swinging, and it just slipped out of my hand and into you, and I'm really so sorry about it all! I just-"_

 _Violet held up her hands in a placating manner and interrupted the other girl. "Whoa, whoa, just stop right there, okay? You don't need to write a speech or anything about this. These things happen sometimes." She held her hand out for the other girl to take, and helped her up. "My name's Violet Storm, and it's okay."_

 _The Twi'lek visibly relaxed as she answered, shaking Violet's hand. "Yeah, sorry, sometimes I get a little stressed out over things, and I can't think straight. My name's Jezebel Ramkodah, by the way."_

 _"Nice to meet you, Jezebel." Violet smiled at the Twi'lek curiously. It was rare that they had foreigners on Kalifa, after all, and since Kalifa had a mainly human population, aliens were definitely easily noticeable. But her smile faltered when she realized the time. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. I just moved here to attend the Kalifa Academy, and I have to register by the end of the day before it closes, or I can't attend. Maybe I'll see you later."_

 _Jezebel smiled back at the other girl. "That'd be nice, actually. I work at a caf shop by the corner of Fourth and Maine; why don't you meet me there at, say, 2000 hours tonight?"_

 _Violet nodded, backing away. "That's good, I'll see you there. Bye!" She sprinted off through the crowd and weaved through the streets until she found the Academy building, a grayish-white square building. There, a bored-looking secretary led her into the building to where a few people had set up some tables and were passing out holodocuments to future students. Violet took the proffered 'doc and read the requirements carefully, even though she had already known what they would be. It never hurt to quadruple-check, though._

 _But, wait...one of them was new from the last time she'd looked at the requirements back home. She gritted her teeth in frustration at the fine text, wondering how she'd be able to answer the requirement. Nevertheless, she took out a stylus and scrawled her signature at the bottom of the holodoc. Maybe the Academy would give her a break._

 _She cautiously walked up to one of the volunteer workers. "Hi, I have a question about the requirements here," she said, pointing at the new one. "I didn't know about this one beforehand; is there a chance I can attend the school anyway?"_

 _The volunteer looked at the 'doc and looked up at her. "Well, it's still relatively new, so I think that if you can find yourself a part-time job by the end of the week, you should be fine. Anything else?"_

 _Violet shook her head. "No, but thank you anyway." She handed the 'doc to him and walked out of the Academy just as they were preparing to lock up for the day. It was time for her to get to work._

* * *

 _A/N: So, I have a question for you: why do you think just mentioning Rebecca's name was enough to set the bartender so on edge? Any thoughts, speculations, or ideas? Just leave them in a review, since those are food for a fanfiction writer's soul! Until next time!_


	4. Introducing the Players: Part 1

_A/N: All I can say right now is that this chapter did NOT want to get done. There were just so many things I wanted to put in here and get across, so I had to split it up into two chapters instead of just one, which is also why there's no flashback of Violet in this. Also, here's a little warning: you're probably not going to like what I decided to do with Rebecca in this chapter. Because if you like her...well, you're not gonna like what I did._

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Introducing the Players: Part 1**

Rex cautiously pushed open the door to the cantina he, Ezra, and Zeb had walked out of mere hours before, not sure what to expect from the bartender. As soon as he had mentioned Rebecca Storm, it was like she had shut down and become another person entirely.

"She said we were supposed to come back here, right?" Zeb asked, looking around at the deserted cantina. "So, where is she?"

Then, the trio heard muffled sounds coming from the back of the building. Rex began to silently creep towards that area, beckoning the other two to follow him. He got close enough to hear what sounded like a couple of whispered voices insistently speaking with each other as he snuck behind the bar towards the back entrance. Looking through the doorway, the clone captain spotted two human teenaged girls arguing, it looked like. One was the bartender, and the other was the waitress who'd tried to take their order before. She had tanned skin, long, dark raven hair tied back in a ponytail, and dark forest-green eyes, and she wore dark pants, black boots, and a green long-sleeved shirt with black gloves rising to her elbows. He would have said she was pretty, but her dark expression ruined that effect as she continued to argue with the other girl. They appeared to be speaking in a foreign language, but he couldn't understand it. Finally, the bartender threw up her arms in exasperation, and stepped away from the other girl, turning to the three rebels.

"Oh," the bartender said, a flash of surprise flickering over her face as she realized the three had been watching. "I didn't know that you'd already come. Sorry about that." She hurried past them to take her place behind the bar counter and flashed a bright smile at them. "Now, what'll you three be having?"

"I don't think now's the time for a drink, but thanks." Ezra said, eyes narrowing suspiciously at the bartender as her grin faltered and her shoulders slumped.

"Well, I think Rex is going to need one for what I'm about to say," was her answer as she grimly took out three glasses. "Besides, it's on the house today. So what'll it be?"

"Er, I'll have a Blumfruit cooler, then," Rex said. He wasn't averse to alcohol, and he was thirsty. Old age tended to do that to a person. Besides, he was on edge from how the bartender was acting.

Zeb and Ezra quickly ordered their drinks, the bartender quickly bringing up their drinks to the counter, bracing her hands on it afterwards, gripping the counter edge tightly with a rigid stance. Rex had a few sips from his glass, then set it down. There was no use in prolonging the question.

"So, what do you know about Rebecca Storm, then?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Ezra and Zeb both quieted beside him as they waited for her answer. The waitress that had been arguing earlier with the bartender silently walked past them, and, as Rex turned to watch her, he was struck by her sharp gaze as they locked eyes for a moment. The waitress turned away with a neutral expression and proceeded to wipe down the tables in the room behind them.

The bartender answered the clone's question with a tentative smile as he turned back. "Well, let's start with the introductions. My name is Alena Dimitte. And you three are?"

Ezra sighed in exasperation before speaking quickly, apparently wanting to get it over with as soon as possible. "My name's Ezra Bridger, and this is Zeb Orrelios. You apparently already know who Rex is, so can we get to the point, please? What do you know, and why did we have to make sure nobody else was around?"

Alena sighed sadly, wiping her smile from her face, and lowered her eyes to the counter top as she leaned forward and set her arms on it. "Sorry, it's just that it's...not an easy story for me to tell. And mentioning Rebecca Storm's name tends to...set off a lot of Kalifans nowadays." She grimly smiled and turned her head from them for a moment before continuing, training her dark eyes on Rex. "What happened the last time you saw Rebecca Storm?"

Rex shut his eyes for a moment; it wasn't one of his fondest memories, despite that kiss she'd given him. "She finished her term of service in the GAR and was boarding a ship to return to Kalifa and marry her...fiancée. And that was the last I saw of her."

"Ah, so you haven't had contact with her since then?" Alena asked curiously. At Rex's nod, she continued speaking. "Well, one thing I think you should know is that Rebecca never married her fiancée when she returned to Kalifa. She was going to, but during the ceremony, Ruchbah ran out suddenly and disappeared. He's never been found."

Rex asked confusedly with a crinkled brow, "Why would he leave?"

The bartender shrugged. "Nobody really knows, actually. He just...disappeared from the planet. And that's all anybody, even Rebecca, knows. One of those to-never-be-solved type of things, I guess."

* * *

 _Dakota calmly walked into the room and silently closed the door behind her, dreading what was to come next, even if she believed it was necessary. Ruchbah looked up from fiddling with his tuxedo's cuff links in surprise, black hair styled out of its usual spikiness. "Dakota Farthing? You should be downstairs; the ceremony's about to start."_

 _"I know." Dakota said quietly, directing her gaze to the wall for a moment before steeling herself to look up. "I just...needed to tell you something I thought you should know."_

 _"What is it, then?" Ruchbah asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. "It can't wait after the wedding?"_

 _Dakota shook her head silently. "No, it can't. Then it'll be too late."_

 _"Too late for what?"_

 _"To..." Dakota paused for a moment, trying to decide how to phrase things. This could go so wrong if she didn't communicate to Ryuchbah properly about Rebecca. She knew just how easily people could get offended and angry, and the fact that she was about to tell him something that he would no doubt rear away from wasn't helping matters. "I...I wanted to know if you're really sure about this? Getting married to Rebecca, that is. Are you sure you aren't rushing into things?"_

 _Ruchbah chuckled and shook his head. "We've been engaged for about three years now, Dakota, and I'm tired of waiting, to be honest. I love Rebecca, and I want to be her husband, start a family with her."_

 _"And...does Rebecca want this? Have you talked to her about these things?" Dakota asked carefully, looking for any signs of hostility from the man. He shook his head, but it was in a joking, good-natured way. It was clear he wasn't taking Dakota's apparent pre-wedding jitters seriously._

 _"No, but it's kind of a given for marriages, isn't it? Get married, settle down, have some kids. It's sort of a package deal."_

 _"I know that, Ruchbah, but what I'm asking is if_ Rebecca _, specifically, has told you she wants all that. Has she ever told you, 'Ruchbah, I want to get married to you, settle down with you, and have children with you.' Or has she just stayed quiet and let you do all the talking?"_

 _Ruchbah furrowed his brows and narrowed his eyes at Dakota, a wary look starting to come over his face. "What are you getting at, Dakota?"_

 _Dakota winced as she answered, silently sorry that he had to find out from somebody other than Rebecca. "I'm saying that...Ruchbah, I don't think she really wants any of that with you. She doesn't love you like that at all."_

 _Silence filled the room as Ruchbah's shot open widely. Dakota held the man's gaze firmly, even as he narrowed his eyes again, this time in anger. "Dakota, what are you talking about? How can you say that about your best friend? Don't you know her at all?"_

 _"Don't you?" Dakota asked back, keeping her tone level, filled with empathy for Ruchbah. "Haven't you been paying attention to how she's been these past few months? You haven't noticed how withdrawn she's become, how sad she always seems, how her smiles never reach her eyes?"_

 _"Sh-she told me that was just from stress from the war and planning the wedding," Ruchbah sputtered. "It'll be fine once we're wed, I'm sure."_

 _Dakota sighed and shook her head sadly. "But it won't. Ruchbah, I know you love her, but...that's a foolish thing to think. She hasn't been fine ever since she got engaged to you."_

 _"And how would you know that?" Ruchbah shot at her. "I mean, it's not like she ever said anything to you about not wanting to." Dakota only looked at him silently and held her gaze to his faltering own as he read her message. "Didn't she?"_

 _"She did tell me that marrying you wouldn't make her happy; that she'd always see you as her brother, but nothing more or less." Dakota said, gaze saddening as she saw the turmoil come into his gaze. And as he opened his mouth, no doubt to try to protest it, she went on. "And I've never lied to you about anything or anyone before. It's not as though telling you this actually benefits me."_

 _"If that's true, than why didn't she say no? Why didn't she back out?" Ruchbah asked quietly, the rage going out of him. "Why didn't she tell me the truth?"_

 _"Ruchbah, I know you aren't familiar with her lifestyle from back in the day, but I am, and there are people from her past who want this to happen in order to hurt_ her _. And Rebecca...well, she's never been good at working under pressure. I'm sorry, but it's true. She can't love you the way you want her to."_

 _Ruchbah shook his head, quietly trying to deny it. "No, no, you're wrong. She loves me and that's why she's marrying me. Not because of some sort of...peer pressure. You're delusional and crazy." He started to walk toward the door, passing Dakota. "We're done here."_

 _"At least answer this question for me, Ruchbah." Dakota said desperately, trying to keep from losing it completely. Rebecca would regret it for the rest of her life if she did this. "When you look into her eyes, do you see happiness when they look at you? Contentment? Peace? Anything other than concealed sadness and sorrow?"_

 _Ruchbah's back stiffened, and Dakota knew that he knew she was right. But the door still slid open, and he went to walk through it. Before it closed, Dakota quietly asked one last question. If he wouldn't answer this one, then there was nothing she could do about it._

 _"Has she ever even told you that she loves you?"_

* * *

"So...she never got married, then?" Rex asked, a strange feeling of giddy relief filling his chest as his lips twitched up for a moment. But if that was true, then... "Why wouldn't she contact me, then? We were... _friends_ , so why wouldn't she send me a message?"

"I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that, Rex. She's known to be...complicated at times, and sometimes she made decisions that only made sense to her. So, no arranged marriage for her, but Councilman Daladob was none too pleased with that development, I heard." She tapped her chin, apparently lost in thought about that event. After a moment, she returned her attention to the rebels. "But anyway, soon after that happened, the Empire came to power, but they didn't come and occupy Kalifa, probably because of how we don't actually have anything of importance to them. At least not at first. But then, Rebecca and a few other Kalifan leaders heard of how the Empire treated other planets and systems. The descriptions of some of those events were very...graphic, to be honest; the Empire certainly doesn't like to mince words about things. It's no wonder they decided to start a rebel cell fighting against the Empire."

"Rebecca Storm started a rebel cell?" Ezra asked, eyes alight with curiosity.

Alena nodded wordlessly. "Yeah, it was called the Shadow Squadron, and the cell was actually pretty efficient against the Empire. They'd come of out nowhere, hit the Empire, and vanish as though they'd never been there to begin with, like a...well, a shadow, I suppose, that the Empire couldn't seem to snuff out."

"So they were good at fighting the Empire." Ezra said with interest, eyes alight with hope. "Maybe they could help our cell against the Empire."

Alena shook her head at the teenaged boy. "Unfortunately, you're getting ahead of yourself. Shadow Squadron was good, yes, but they gave the Empire so much trouble that they gained the attention of high-ranking Imperials that directly served the Emperor. And one day, about five years ago…" she clenched her jaw as Rex noticed tears forming in her eyes, "…the Empire found them. And...killed them. All of them. Including Rebecca Storm."

* * *

 _"Commander! Our shields are down, and we're taking heavy fire!" Rebecca wasn't sure who had said that in all the chaos, but she was forced to agree with them as she looked out the viewport at the looming Imperial cruisers bearing down on them, along with several TIE fighters. As she looked, her eyes couldn't help but pick up a TIE that looked slightly different from the others, like it was modified. It appeared to be the leader, whoever that was. And it was coming right for them._

 _"Get us into hyperspace! Now!" Rebecca cried out over the din. A technician answered back, making the commander's heart sink more with his statement. "We can't! They shot out our engines! We're sitting mynocks!"_

 _The TIE leader was so close now, Rebecca could hear its blaster bolts discharging as it shot at the ship, making its way to the bridge, every resulting explosion causing the ship to shake. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw their other ships going down in flames in space around her._

 _The last thing she heard were screams, and the last thing she saw were green lasers from the lead TIE._

 _Then there was nothing._

* * *

"What?" Rex asked in a hoarse voice as the meaning clicked in his mind's eye, imagining the battered, lifeless body of Rebecca, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. He leaned forward and shut his eyes in pain. He was a soldier; he was certainly used to losing those closest to him. But it never failed to hurt any less every time. "She's dead?"

Alena nodded, pity filling her eyes as she watched him. "Yeah, I'm really sorry. She talked about you a lot, you know. She always said that you were a good man."

"You actually knew her?" Zeb asked in surprise, finally switching from his previous silent stature. Alena nodded in affirmation.

"I did know her. Rebecca took me in when I was about...oh, maybe five or six years old? My parents had died in a forest fire when I was about four, and she found me on the streets and decided I was somehow worthy of her time, and she ended up training me until she died. And I was actually there the day she died." Alena smiled sadly as she spoke. "She took me and another student of hers onto her command ship to show us the ropes and all. I suppose it was a bit like a field trip, at least until the Empire came out of nowhere." Her expression darkened as she recounted the event. "She put the both of us on a small ship to Kalifa, but the Empire followed us to the planet; hence, their brief occupation." Alena adopted a grim expression on her face. "And let's just say that was not a good time to be connected to Rebecca Storm."

* * *

 _Alena looked up suddenly as the ship's alarm klaxon sounded, wondering what was going on. The crew members around her began to run, yelling over the alarm. Alena didn't know what she was supposed to do; it wasn't like she'd been on a ship before and knew all the ins and outs of it. She'd only been on this one for a few days. And where was Victoria? She must've snuck off somewhere at some point, and the older girl hadn't noticed. What to do? What to do? What to_ —

 _"Alena!" Turning around, Alena saw the figure of Rebecca Storm sprinting toward her through the halls, and she breathed out a sigh of relief. Rebecca would know what to do. She always knew what to do._

 _"Rebecca, what's going on?" Alena asked as she felt the ship shake violently, throwing her against the wall for a moment before stabilizing. Rebecca quickly regained her footing and shook her head hurriedly as she took the girl's hand and pulled her with her, almost running through the crowd again._

 _"Never mind that now, Alena; where's Victoria?" Rebecca stood on her toes to try to search through the crowds, voice taking on a distressed tone. "Where did she go?"_

 _"I-I'm not sure," Alena stuttered, wishing she didn't disappoint Rebecca. "She must've snuck off somewhere. But where are we going? What's going on?"_

 _Rebecca paid no heed to the girl's questions as she quickly took out her comlink, hand shaking as she keyed in a code. "Victoria, wherever you are, I need you to get to the hangar bay now,_ please _. Alena and I'll meet you there, but please hurry!" Rebecca shut off the call abruptly and stuffed her comm back in her belt pouch, striding along quickly, to Alena's difficulty._

 _Alena felt like her arm was being pulled out of her socket; that's how hard Rebecca was pulling as she heard the alarm klaxon rise to a higher pitch. At the sound, Rebecca's face turned pale. "No..." she muttered, as she broke into a run, literally pulling Alena off her feet. "Hurry! There's not much time left, Alena!"_

 _"What do you mean?" Alena had to yell to make herself heard over the increased volume of the chaos around her. "What's happening? Please tell me, Rebecca!"_

 _Rebecca and Alena entered the hangar bay as the commander answered. "It's the Empire, Alena; it's found us, and now you and Victoria need to go."_

 _"Go where?" Alena asked in confusion, trying to process everything. The Empire was there? How could that be? And what did Rebecca mean? "What are we doing?"_

 _"Hey! You guys!" The cry of another young girl filled the bay as Alena whipped around even as she was pulled along by her mentor, spotting a young dark-haired girl running up to them. "I'm here; now what are we doing?"_

 _"Rebecca says it's the Empire, Victoria, and that we have to go!" Alena tried to explain hurriedly as the trio finally stopped in front of a small ship._

 _Rebecca stood still for a moment, quietly muttering to herself. Alena could only catch a few words. "I was hoping this day would never come." Then the woman shook her head and gestured up the ship's ramp, pushing the two girls into it. "Now, I need you two to strap yourselves in while I program the computer; can you do that?"_

 _At their nods, Rebecca bolted into the cockpit, hurriedly pressing buttons on the console. Alena quietly strapped herself in with her friend, wondering what was going to happen to them. Were they going to die? That was a concept she wasn't really familiar with, even though she knew it had to do with the Force. Death had always seemed like it was so far away, but Alena had seen Rebecca's expression of fear and knew the chances were very high that day._

 _Rebecca came out of the cockpit, eyes tearing up as she knelt in front of the girls, placing one hand on each of their shoulders. "Now, I need you two to stay quiet and calm, alright? This ship is on autopilot, and it'll get you back to Dakota on Kalifa. I need you girls to stay with her for awhile, okay?" She forced a watery smile at the two as they exchanged scared glances._

 _"But what about you?" Victoria asked, fear in her eyes. "Why can't you come with us?"_

 _Rebecca sighed shakily as the ship shook around them again. "It's difficult to explain right now, honey, but sometimes...we need to stay behind so that others can live. You'll understand better someday. For now, I need you two to take care of each other on Kalifa." She pulled the two girls into a group hug as she continued. "Never give up hope, my girls. Never." She stood up and, with a last teary-eyed glance, bolted out of the small ship as its ramp began to close. Alena swallowed fearfully, certain this wouldn't end well._

 _The last thing Alena saw before darkness descended was Rebecca Storm running out of the hangar, ready to save the day, as always._

* * *

"That's...too bad." Ezra said grimly, apparently not knowing what else to say to her story, and Rex was in agreement with his words. There was no way to recompense a person for living through whatever the Empire had had in store for the planet. Since Rex had joined Phoenix Squadron, he'd seen it personally in other systems.

Then Ezra jerked his head up as a new thought apparently entered his head, and leaned closer. "But she trained you? For what, to fight against the Empire?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Alena sighed, hesitating for a moment, before continuing.

"She didn't actually train me for combat. Well, I suppose it _could_ be used for combat, but I never joined her cell, so I wouldn't actually know if she even used her powers against the Empire or not…" The bartender kept rambling on as she babbled about Rebecca for a few seconds before catching herself. "Sorry, sometimes I have a habit of talking too much. Anyway, as I was saying, Rebecca trained me to wield a certain type of…skill that people rarely ever develop."

Ezra crinkled his brow as he leaned forward in an eager way. "What kind of skill, exactly?" Somewhere in the back of Rex's mind, he knew that there was something about Ezra's interest in this bartender that wasn't quite right, for some reason.

"Well…" the bartender hesitated for a moment before sighing in defeat, and snapping the fingers on one of her hands. For a moment, nothing happened, and Ezra emitted a sigh of disappointment. But then she opened her closed palm, revealing a yellow flame hovering just above it. "…magic is the common term for what she used to teach, but I was never one of her strongest students to begin with, unfortunately."

Rex raised his eyebrows in surprise. He had known that there had been something different about Rebecca ever since she had healed him in that strange, yet helpful way all those years ago. "I wasn't aware that she taught others magic; I thought she was the only one."

Alena looked at him in surprise. "She showed you her magic? She didn't really like to do that to people who can't wield magic." She studied the old man with what looked like new appreciation and respect. "And seeing as how the Empire hasn't come knocking down our door, I'm going to assume that you never told anyone, correct?"

Rex wordlessly nodded in response to the young woman's question. She sighed in relief. "That's good. If the Empire knew that there were magicians in the galaxy, well…it wouldn't be pretty, I can tell you that."

Rex struggled to keep a handle on his emotions as he processed everything; he had to prioritize the mission above anything else right then. He could grieve later. If Rebecca and her rebel cell was gone, then…

"What about her friend, Dakota Farthing?" Alena flinched as though she'd been struck and inhaled shakily.

"She's dead too, I'm afraid; killed by the same Imperial that decimated Shadow Squadron. A man in black with a red lightsaber. I heard he was called Lord Vader or something like that. He did a lot of damage to Kalifa." She looked away for a moment, caught up in her memories again. "Dakota also trained me when Rebecca couldn't since she had responsibilities to the rebel cell that often took her away from Kalifa for the last few years or so of her life."

Rex looked up in surprise and met the bartender's eyes. "Dakota Farthing was a magician, too?"

Alena nodded. "Yeah, she was a great one, too. But I guess that had to do with the fact that she was the last known Phoenix Magician before she was killed, so there's also that."

"Phoenix Magician? What's that?" Ezra asked. Rex raised his eyebrows at the name; he _was_ part of Phoenix Squadron, after all.

Alena smiled tiredly at them. "I think...that I should tell you _that_ story when you have more time on your hands. It's getting pretty late, you know; you should all get some sleep." She walked out from behind the bar counter and stepped over to a nearby coat rack, grabbing her coat and slipping it on. "I should be getting home anyway. Maybe I'll see you soon?" She asked with a hopeful smile as she pulled on her gloves and adjusted her coat collar.

Even if she did know Rebecca, and therefore knew about him, Rex was still confused as to why exactly this girl seemed _happy_ they were there. "Why would you want to see us again, Alena?"

She smiled brightly as she opened the door, letting the cold air and snow come in. "It's been a long time since this planet has had any kind of hope. And since you're rebels, well, then I've got a feeling that you might just help us get on the right path again."

* * *

 _A/N: Before you guys start throwing rotten tomatoes at me, let me just get this point across: yes, I had always planned on killing Rebecca Storm. Sorry, but that's true. The plan I have in mind for this story just wouldn't work if she were still alive, so she, sadly, had to go. And maybe that seems cruel to have happen to Rex, but don't worry; I do have a happy ending in the cards for him, but it's something that's going to be pretty unexpected for you guys._

 _With that out of the way, what did you think of this chapter? Leave a review to share your thoughts, since they're food for a fanfiction writer's soul!_


	5. Introducing the Players: Part 2

_A/N: I decided to update a week early since this is the second part of the previous chapter. Also, thank you for reviewing, CaptainReb, and thank you for putting me on alert, Grond99! I appreciate the added support! Hope you all enjoy this next chapter!_

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Introducing the Players: Part 2**

Kent Daladob stood cloaked in an alley, impatiently looking at his wristchrono, and looked up again. This time, he was relieved to see his contact making her way to him, the hood of her cloak obscuring her face. He nodded at her as she entered the alley, and leaned against the wall across from him. "Good to see you again, _hermana_. Now, what is it? What have you found?"

She crossed her arms as she answered, face hidden by shadows. "A group of people came into the cantina tonight; they were asking about Rebecca Storm. I'm certain they're part of some sort of rebel cell, from what I could hear. One of them was a little too talkative."

Kent's breath caught in his throat. Rebels, on Kalifa? His vision began to tint red as he realized the possible implications, and anger pulsed through his veins. How could they just come here and assume that people would bow down to them, after what happened the last time? What made them think they had a right to this planet? What made them think the people here would even care? "And what else?"

"I'm sure they're looking to recruit Kalifa to their rebel cause against the Empire."

He took a deep breath as he processed the information, eyes glinting dangerously. "Well, we can't have that, now can we? Good work, Lieutenant."

She sighed sadly at the title. "Please don't call me that anymore, Kent. I don't want to be _that_ Lieutenant. Not anymore."

"Sorry, Victoria. But as for the rebels, I think you should keep an eye on them, see what they're really up to here. And if they're here to recruit Kalifa, then we'll just have to do things the hard way for now, and step up our plans."

* * *

"So, you're saying that your friend Rebecca Storm, who could have helped us convince the Kalifan government to join us in our cause, has actually been dead for five years, and you never knew about it?" Hera asked, hands on her hips as Sabine worked on the Ghost's control panel behind her.

Rex nodded as a sad look entered his eyes. "We didn't have any contact in the years following the Empire's rise to power, and Seelos doesn't exactly have a strong comm connection. Looks like we're going to have to do this on our own for now."

Hera sighed tiredly as she ran her hand over her face. Ezra couldn't blame her for being disappointed; from what Rex had said about her, Rebecca Storm had appeared to have a large amount of influence on the Kalifan Court. They'd be essentially going in blind when they met with the Court the next day.

The teenaged human also felt a pang of disappointment that he wouldn't be able to meet Rex's friend; that bartender Alena had implied that she had been a very powerful magician. Ezra would have liked to have a chance to see if he could develop that kind of power from an expert, but it looked like he'd have to convince Alena to teach him. If he could harness magic, he could use it against the Empire and give them what they deserved. That kind of power…he had to have it.

* * *

Rex tiredly stepped into the cantina, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw the only person in the building was the teenaged dark-haired waitress Alena had argued with earlier, cleaning the glasses behind the bar counter. Alena seemed like a good kid, no doubt about that, but he couldn't take the pity he'd seen in her eyes before again. He didn't need to be reminded about his failure. He'd failed Rebecca, and he had no one to blame but himself for letting her slip through his fingers five years too late.

The girl looked up as the old clone sat down at the bar, head in his hands. A suspicious expression crossed her face, but Rex noticed that it was also tinged with...curiosity, for some reason. He had expected the suspicion; he was convinced that the argument between her and Alena had had to do with the rebels being there, but the curiosity was a surprise.

"Is there a reason that you're here?" The waitress finally chose to break the silence between them, studying the man before her with penetrating green eyes. She almost looked like she was waiting for something...

"Couldn't sleep, and I need a drink," was Rex's short answer. He wasn't in the mood for politeness at the moment. The girl raised her eyebrow, but nodded.

"Are you having the same thing as last time?"

"Yeah, sure," Rex said warily. "It was the—"

"—Blumfruit cooler, I know," the waitress interrupted him, surprising the older human once again. He furrowed his brow in confusion.

"How did you know that?" Rex asked curiously. The waitress shrugged apathetically, seemingly bored by the question.

"I _was_ right behind you when you ordered that drink, and I have a pretty good memory." She turned her back to him and quickly mixed the drink, setting it on the counter in front of him. He took a huge gulp of it as she watched him with a raised eyebrow, furthering his curiosity about this girl.

"What's your name?" He asked, not quite sure why he was so curious about her, but was unable to stop himself from asking. Maybe it was the alcohol.

The waitress jerked back in surprise at the question, eyes widening for a moment before she calmed herself and relaxed. "Victoria Violetta," she said, raising her eyebrow at him again. "Why would you want to know?"

"I was just...curious." Rex answered back, taking another gulp of his drink. "You seem like an...interesting person."

"I used to be. Nowadays, though...not so much," Victoria said neutrally as she went back to cleaning the glasses with a dishrag. "You seem to be quite the interesting character yourself, you know."

Rex looked up from his drink in surprise. "What would make you say that?"

"Alena's not the only person on Kalifa who knows about Rebecca Storm's history during her service in the Clone War." Victoria shrugged absently in response as she polished a glass. "She was once a famous figure in Kalifan culture before her death, and after that botched wedding of hers with Lyiknan, it became pretty clear that she had had...something with someone else. She often spoke of a particular clone trooper to her students. I'm going to hazard a guess and say that clone was you?"

"I...I guess so," Rex said, not quite sure what else to say to this girl. "You might say that we were...close during the War."

"And probably a little bit more than just _close_ , I imagine?" Victoria put in as she raised her eyebrow pointedly at the aged clone veteran. Rex coughed uncomfortably as he thought of how to phrase his and Rebecca's relationship.

"There might have been something there, sure, but it was...complicated. We were more focused on fighting than starting a relationship most of the time. If things had been different, maybe...we could have had...something." Rex said dejectedly to Victoria, as he tried to keep the whole weight and pain of Rebecca's death from pushing him into the ground from grief. When Rebecca had left for Kalifa all those years ago, she had swept away a dream that Rex had barely allowed to come to fruition in his mind. A dream of a family, of a wife, and, maybe, even a child one day. _A child._ "But it's too late now, anyway." He slid his eyes away from Victoria, not wanting to see that _pity_ he knew would be in her eyes. Just like Alena.

Absentmindedly, he reached into his belt pouch and pulled out an old holoprojector. As he drank, he switched it on, revealing Rebecca Storm's image. Every time he had looked at her holoimage before, he'd always mourned what he could have had with her. And now that she was dead, well...there was nothing he could do about that anymore.

Rex was pulled out of his thoughts by the sharp inhale of Victoria. Looking up, he saw her eyes intensely studying Rebecca's image, an unreadable look entering her green eyes. After a few moments, her gaze softened as she looked to her customer. But, for some reason, her eyes weren't filled with pity, like Alena. They were just filled with...sadness and sorrow. "You really did love her, didn't you?"

Rex clenched his jaw at that word. _Love._ In all his years, he had made sure to never use that word when he thought about his feelings for Rebecca. He had thought that if he didn't give what they had had that certainty, that _permanency_ from that one word, then maybe the loss of what-might-have-been would hurt less for him as the years went on. "I did, but I was foolish for failing to see it for what it was. Now it's too late."

"But if you loved her, then why didn't you go after her? Why didn't you fight for her?" Rex jerked his head up to stare at Victoria's defiant stare, not sure what game she was playing with him.

"She didn't want me to," Rex said, at a loss of what to really say. "She said it was the only way to save her people."

"She just said that so she wouldn't feel so bad about breaking both your hearts, and, I don't know if you've realized by now, but Rebecca Storm wasn't known for making the best decisions under pressure." Victoria set down her glass and set both hands firmly on the counter top, jaw clenching. "You could have gone after her, and you could have helped her get through things. But you didn't, and I always wondered why you never looked for her, even after the War."

Rex shook his head at the girl. "During the War, I had another family to look after. My brothers." Victoria's eyebrow shot up even further at the statement. "If...if I couldn't be with Rebecca, I liked to think that I gave some semblance of purpose to those under my command. And after...well, we were decommissioned after the War, and after what had happened with the Jedi, I...needed some time to process it all." He remembered going from planet to planet before finally finding Gregor and Wolffe, and settling on Seelos, feeling the constant pain and purposelessness at how his brothers had been forced to kill their officers in such an awful way. Not feeling like he himself had deserved any happiness afterward. He'd known about those chips, yet he only told a select few about it. How could he have been happy after condemning his own brothers to a fate like that? "And then later...I was afraid. I had thought that she wouldn't want me around, since I was under the impression at that point that she had married. And I didn't think I could handle her rejection. If I had known..." Rex trailed off for a moment, not wanting to say anything else to Victoria. "But it doesn't matter anymore. That time is over." He took another drink, stowing away his projection, and Victoria's eyebrow rose up again, a curious and surprised look entering her eyes. "Thanks for the drink, Victoria. I'd best be going." He wiped his mouth and stood up, nodding at her as he left, not hearing Victoria's words spoken quietly and sadly as she looked to where he'd exited.

"You're _definitely_ not what I'd expected."

* * *

The snow whipped furiously on Kalifa as the wind forced it everywhere, always looking to freeze everyone and everything in its path. Atop a cliff, a lone wolf stood quietly, gold eyes gleaming, looking out at what she had caused as her dark fur whipped about with the blizzard wind. She bowed her head and, lifting it to the sky, let out a deep, loud howl that reverberated throughout the entire planet. It was time for the forced winter to end.

And the snow stopped falling.

* * *

 _Violet pushed open the door to the bustling caf shop and paused, looking around at the bright decor: bright yellow walls, orange painted on the window trim and furniture. The result was very...clashing. It made her sort of wish she'd worn a sun visor._

 _"I know it's probably not much to look at, but it pays the bills at the very least." Violet turned at the voice and saw her Twi'lek acquaintance, Jezebel, smiling at her, dressed in a red knee-length skirt and yellow shirt matching the wall color, her spirit light flickering in anticipation. "Can I get you any caf?"_

 _"Um, let me see; just a minute, please," Violet dug around in a side pocket of her bag, unearthing some credits from its depths. Her mom always liked her to be prepared for anything._

But that doesn't make everything she does right, _her mind whispered, resonating inside her bones. She pushed that thought from her mind, and offered the credits as she searched the menu for anything._

 _"I think I'll have...an iced caf, I guess."_

 _Jezebel smiled brightly. "That's a good choice, especially in this heat. Everybody wants the iced caf now; in winter, I'm betting they'll want it hot, though. Which is actually a good thing," she proclaimed as she turned to go, lekku swinging. "Seeing as we serve both kinds, it keeps us in business all year 'round. Grab a seat, and I'll come to you; it's almost my break time anyway. Then we can talk." She stepped into the kitchen area of the building, leaving Violet to wrestle a seat from somewhere. She finally decided to sit near the window, and sat down as she spotted Jezebel making her way towards her with a cup of icy caf._

 _"So!" Jezebel said brightly as she set the cup in front of the human girl and sat across from her at the table. "Were you able to register at the Academy or not? I heard it's highly prestigious, but you seem to be a smart girl, so I don't see why you shouldn't attend_ _—_ _"_

 _"Registration was fine, actually," Violet said, trying to keep up a good face for her new friend. "There's just one requirement that was just added maybe a week ago. I need to find a job by the end of the week, or the Academy can't accept me. I've been looking at wanted ads on the local HoloNet, but there's just a bunch of bad jobs like "Trash Inspector" or something ten times as worse. And I_ need _to go to the Academy; I've been wanting to go for three_ years _now. And I just..." Violet propped her elbows on the table and used them to support her head as she let out a huff of frustration, "I've got nothing." Looking up at Jezebel, she saw the surprised look in the Twi'lek's eyes. Violet shook her head as she reached for her cup. "Sorry, I didn't mean to dump on you like that, I just...I just want to live my life without it being controlled by my mother's shadow, and I want this to work. Got any ideas for me?" She allowed her lips to turn up in a slight smile at Jezebel as the Twi'lek appeared to be thinking hard about her question. Finally, as Violet finished her drink, she spoke up._

 _"I think I have an idea for you, Violet. See across the street?" Violet followed Jezebel's pointing finger to gaze at the small yet quaint-looking building with pots of flowers sitting by its door. "That's a flower shop. The owner, Vizino Yemen, comes in here every morning for coffee, and he mentioned today that he was looking to hire an assistant to help him in his shop, or to manage it when he's away on business. He hasn't put it up on the 'Net yet, but I think it might be a good job for you. Do you think you could work there?"_

 _Violet felt a smile grow on her face as she looked at the flower shop. She had always loved plants, and she had had a garden back home that she tended as a hobby. Sure, she used magic sometimes to help them grow faster or healthier, but she enjoyed it even without using magic. It could be a good fit for her. She turned her gaze back to Jezebel, who looked worried that she might reject her offer._

Guess again, Jezebel.

 _"I think that'd be a great job, Jezebel, do you think you could come with me and help me see if I can get it?" Jezebel smiled back at Violet brightly._

 _"Sure, I can go with you right now if you want. My break lasts for an hour, and I was saving it waiting to see if you'd come or not. Let's go!" The Twi'lek grabbed the younger human's wrist and pulled her out of the booth, tugging her toward the exit. Violet laughed, going along with it, as she let herself be pulled to, as of right now, her part-time dream job._

 _Stepping through the doorway, Violet was struck with the number of flowers blossoming all over inside the shop. There were so many colors and flowers; she didn't know where to start if she did end up with the job._

 _A human woman who looked to be in her thirties came out of the back room, wiping her gloved hands on her pants. She had dark hair with a few gray streaks tied back in a ponytail and warm brown eyes, with a green aura. When she realized she had a couple of visitors, she quickly made her way to the counter, pulling off her gloves. "Good day; how can we help you? Do you need any flowers for any occasions, or are you just here to browse?"_

 _Violet recovered from the shock of so much foliage and cleared her throat nervously. "Hi, my name's Violet Storm. I'm here because my friend here told me that the owner was looking to hire someone to help in his shop, and I was wondering if I could apply for a part-time job."_

 _The woman laughed soundly before answering. "But we haven't even put up the ad yet! How did your friend find out?"_

 _A man's deep voice echoed from behind Violet, and she whirled around in surprise. "Don't worry, Mary; I know Jezebel well enough to know that I shouldn't open my mouth too much when I'm at the caf shop." A burly man stepped out from behind a bookcase filled with flowers, and held his hand out for shaking. "I'm Vizino, the owner of this place. Welcome to our humble abode." He looked to be some years older than the woman Mary, with salt-and-pepper hair and a lined face, but he was sort of handsome, in that older-guy type of way. His spirit light flicking around him was deep red. Violet shook Vizino's hand and stepped back nervously, butterflies in her stomach. She really did want this job. But as she opened her mouth, the owner beat her to it. "Now, why don't we go to my office and we can discuss things, Violet?"_

 _She wordlessly nodded and followed him through the back to his office. Sitting behind the desk, he folded his hands together and opened his mouth, but was interrupted._

 _"Sorry, honey, but a customer just dropped by and is asking for you. A woman named Rem, she says she didn't get the right flower order?" Mary popped her head in and waited for Vizino's response, but he waved her away dismissively._

 _"Just tell her to come back another day, Mary, or I'll comm her later and see what I can do." Mary nodded and quickly left, and Vizino sighed before looking to Violet. "Please excuse my wife; she's not the best in the florist business, but she does what she can to help. However, she doesn't have the skill I need since business is starting to pick up. Now, how about we review your credentials? What makes you think you can get this job?"_

 _"Well," Violet began, reaching into her bag to take out her datapad, clicking it on, "I had a garden in my hometown, and I know everything there is to know about the florist business from holobooks and my garden. This 'pad has some photos I took of my garden, as well as this degree in the florist business I got from a class on the 'Net, and I hope it convinces you. I'm willing to work part-time since I'm enrolling at the Kalifan Academy here, and it requires me to have a job."_

 _Vizino took the proffered datapad and flipped through the holophotos and degree copy, nodding his head at them for a few minutes before handing it back to Violet. "Well, you do seem to know what you're doing, and you seem eager, so, how about I hire you and see what happens for a month? Think of it as your trial-run; after a month, I'll see about hiring you to stay on as long as you want."_

 _Violet couldn't believe it as a grin stretched from ear to ear. "Really? Thank you, sir! I won't let you down!" She got up to return to the main room, but he stopped her._

 _"Wait, we haven't discussed your contract yet. Do you have a place of residency yet?"_

 _"Um...no, not yet, sir."_

 _Vicino nodded as he took in her answer. "Well, Kalifan law generally states that, if an employee doesn't have a place of residency when hired, the employer is to accommodate his employee by giving them a place of residency and paying their bills in exchange for a cut in salary. So I'm thinking about an apartment about a block south of here; would that work for you?"_

 _Violet nodded eagerly. "Yes, that would be fine, sir. Thank you."_

 _The two worked out the rest of the contract, and by the time Violet left, she felt like she was flying. She was going to a school she loved, and had a job that she knew she'd love. She finally got to have the choices her mother had never given her before,_ and _she did it without Mom's help._

 _Things were falling into place for her._

* * *

 _A/N: And the plot begins to thicken! Leave a comment about what you think, since reviews are food for a fanfiction writer's soul!_

 _Also, this could possibly be my last chapter before I have too much going on to update regularly, so this is also a possible farewell (at least until the end of summer)._

 _P.S. You might want to pay attention to the parts that have wolves in this story, since my putting them in here is definitely not an accident. ;P_


	6. Prolongment

_A/N: Ok, so I guess that this is my last chapter before I go through that big thing over the summer I've mentioned in previous notes. I'll try to make the next update, but then after that I'll be taking a break for the summer (These are also the last of my pre-written chapters, so I need some more time to write up more chapters, too). I give a thanks to Ryosuke Takahashi for favoriting my story; it's much appreciated! On to the next chapter!_

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Prolongment**

 _Rex opened his eyes, finding himself on Kalifa, in its forest. The moons shone down from above, bathing him and the trees in bright light. A flicker of movement to his left caught his attention, and he turned his head to find a familiar figure walking out of the shadows. Rebecca Storm stopped just in front of him, and appeared to be waiting for something. After a few moments of silence, the aged clone had to speak up._

" _You're dead." His voice was flat and toneless as he spoke to her. It was still hard for him to believe. She smiled sadly, just as she'd always done in his other dreams._

" _Yes, I am dead."_

 _Rex's eyes narrowed as he felt anger coursing through his veins. "Why didn't you tell me? Why did you let me think you were alive, only to crush my hope at the last minute?"_

 _Rebecca closed her eyes and shook her head slightly. "You might not have come otherwise, and I needed you to come back here."_

" _Why? What else is here that you're not telling me? What am I supposed to do if you're not here?" Rex asked desperately in a pleading tone._

" _I…" Rebecca looked away for a moment before training her violet eyes back on his face, "…I can't tell you; it's something you need to find out for yourself. I'm sorry, but I've been forbidden from telling you. And besides, if I did give that information to you, you wouldn't be able to handle it yet."_

" _Forbidden?" Rex furrowed his brow. "Forbidden by who? You're…dead."_

" _There is something that transcends life, death, time, and all the rest of mortal senses. The Force. A part of it is known as the Phoenix in magic culture. I wish I could tell you more, but my time is limited. You should ask Alena when you see her again." Rebecca smiled sadly as she spoke of her former student. "I wish I could help you, but I've moved beyond interaction with your galaxy. For now, I can only come to you through your dreams. And for now, I have to say good-bye."_

" _Good-bye?" Rex asked in disbelief. Around him, the forest began to disintegrate into flakes of ash as Rebecca's form began to fade, giving her a transparent, ghostly look._

" _Don't worry, Rex," she said, smiling brightly for the first time. "One day, you're going to find out why I sent you here, and it will be worth it. I promise."_

" _Wait!" Rex cried, as wind suddenly whipped at him, blowing him back from Rebecca, catapulting him out of the planet. As his vision faded, he knew he was waking up, and he heard Rebecca one last time._

" _I love you."_

* * *

The next day, Rex, Hera, Ezra, Zeb, and Sabine stepped inside the Kalifan Court of Justice building. The first thing Rex noticed was the emblem of a giant winged wolf on the floor. He felt drawn to it for some reason, but was shaken out of his fixation on the animal by Hera speaking up.

"We'd better get to their courtroom; Sabine was able to hack into their files and get us an appointment yesterday, but I don't know how they'll treat us. From what you mentioned about how the Kalifans looked at Zeb, Ezra, I doubt they get many foreigners here." Hera led the way to the courtroom, the rest falling into step behind her. Rex followed cautiously, uncertain of how far they would get with the Court; he remembered how they had always kept the Republic, and outsiders in general, at a tentative length.

Hera pushed the door of the courtroom open, and the rebels stepped into the courtroom. The Court members sat in front of them at a high table carved in a semi-circle that was actually several feet high, forcing them to look down at the _Ghost_ crew. Rex narrowed his eyes as he studied the members. There were four humans, all of varying genders and physical characteristics. He spied a human woman with dark hair and eyes, and an obese human man with graying hair, light green eyes, and a heavily wrinkled face. That particular man's eyes widened and narrowed suspiciously at the rebels as they stepped closer. Rex mentally reminded himself to keep an eye on him, before turning back to the rest of the Court. Another man with gray hair and topaz eyes spoke up.

"Who are you, and why have you come to this planet?"

Hera answered calmly and respectfully, green lekku swaying. "Sir, we have come before you to ask you to help us with our group. We know you have no love for the Empire, and we want you to join our cause against it."

The obese man with green eyes narrowed his eyes further into slits as he scoffed. "And what makes you think we _want_ to join you, after what happened last time? And how do we know you're any better than the Empire? For all we know, you'd just come to suck us all dry!"

The other two court members murmured quietly with one another as the first man glared at the other. "Now, Councilman Daladob, we should at least hear them out." He turned back to the rebels. "What makes you think we have no love for the Empire?"

"We know that a person who the Court once held in high regard was brutally killed by the Empire. A woman named Rebecca Storm." At this, the other members gasped collectively, and Daladob's eyes widened for a split second before narrowing again. The other man with topaz eyes adopted a grim expression as he took in the information before speaking.

"We must…discuss this matter of yours in private for now. Thank you for coming today; we'll let you know when to come back in."

Hera nodded wordlessly and quietly led the crew out of the room. As the doors closed behind them, Zeb took that moment to speak.

"That's it? I thought we'd be there all day," he said in disbelief, apparently used to having to debate with people all day long. Rex shook his head as he trailed behind the group. That Court didn't appear to get along too well, or at least, the two men that had actually spoken to them didn't. There was obviously some sort of animosity between them. He just hoped that it wouldn't deter them from doing what's right.

* * *

 _At the same time..._

The large spacecraft in front of her was conspicuous, but at least it was on the outskirts of the town. It was unlikely that someone would spot her doings in and around it while those rebels were who-knew-where at that point. Still, she stealthily crept up to the ship's entrance, and carefully inserted a small virus into the port next to the loading ramp. The virus was temporary, and would only cause any security locks or surveillance measures to cease functioning while she was on the ship. Then the virus would self-destruct, causing no lasting damage to the ship. As the virus took control, the loading ramp's lock deactivated and lowered itself to the ground, creating an entrance she could slip through.

Quietly creeping through the loading area, she was surprised by an old astromech droid leaping out at her from behind a pile of crates, screaming several obscenities in its droid language. Quickly, she dodged the droid and let it pass by her, as it was going too fast to stop, where it crashed into the ship's wall. Turning around, it prepared for another run at her, but this time she was prepared. As the droid hurtled at her again, she pulled out a deactivating rod and stabbed the droid with it. The pulse that rocketed through the old astromech's body caused it to drop like a stone and cease all functions. She would deal with it later, but first she had to see if her suspicions about one particular crew member were correct. She remembered how her skin had crawled as the apparent Jedi Ezra Bridger had walked into the cantina the day before, sensing the dark presence coating his soul. His darkness hadn't felt as horrible as others' she'd been exposed to, but she figured that he wasn't as immersed in the dark practices as they had been.

Yet.

She could sense the darkness in the ship, too. It was calling out to her, begging for her to take it and use it to get what she wanted. She gritted her teeth and clenched her hands into fists, fighting against the urge to succumb. Using her senses, she followed the trail of darkness to where its whispers increased, becoming more seductive with every passing moment. Opening the door to the room, she took in the details filling it, carefully filing it all away in her mind for possible future reference: a bunk bed for two people, several posters decorating one side of the room, a painting of the Lasat and Ezra Bridger decorating another, and a line of helmets filling a shelf.

She looked back at the helmets, suspicions filling her mind as she spotted a dim red glow coming from one of them. Lifting it carefully, she shook out a small, pyramidal object into her waiting hand, and narrowed her eyes at its design and blood-red color scheme. She recalled...a story she'd once read about, long ago, about two objects that had been used in an event that completed the First Dark Magician's descent into darkness. They'd been called holocrons, and, according to the story, one had been shaped like a cube, glowing blue, and the other had been detailed to look similar to the object she now held in her hand. And the red one was said to have been created by...

In a flash, her eyes widened and she panicked, throwing the Sith holocron at the wall as hard as she could, not really surprised when it bounced off without a scratch, and pressed herself into the corner of the room furthest from that...that _thing_ , breathing heavily as memories assaulted her mind. Memories of dark, terrible times. All because of dark power like the one imbued into that holocron. For several minutes, she remained in that corner, trying to calm herself down and lock away those memories, to get control of herself again. Slowly, her panic attack subsided, and she pushed herself away from the corner, looking at the holocron with a more detached mind. There was no doubt that the voice in that ship belonged to the darkness in that object, and she didn't doubt that it was the source of the darkness surrounding that Ezra Bridger character. Carefully, she bent down and picked the holocron up by one end with two fingers, careful not to touch it more than what was necessary, stowing it back into the helmet she'd found it in, and placing it back on the shelf, carefully arranging it to make sure the helmet didn't look as though it had been moved.

Then, she stole away back into the loading bay where the deactivated droid waited. Taking out her tools, she carefully opened up the droid's interior, searching for its memory file. Finding it, she carefully removed it from the old droid and inserted the chip into her datapad, searching for its most recent memory. A video of herself in the ship's loading bay played out on her datapad, and, working quickly, she deleted the memory, erasing the obvious proof that she'd been there. She inserted the file back into the droid and closed it up, giving it an internal command to reactivate itself in five minutes. That would be enough time for her virus to erase itself and make everything on the ship go back to the way it had been before she had found it.

For now, there could be no suspicions that anyone had broken into the rebels' ship. Victoria would just have to keep her eyes open for any new developments from these people, and act when she was sure of what was happening.

* * *

Ezra stepped into the bar alone, hoping to find Alena, disappointed when he didn't see her. He wanted to talk to her more about this _magic_ , and how he could learn to use it. But the only employee he saw was that dark-haired waitress Alena had been arguing with the day before, standing behind the bar and cleaning it. He stepped up to the counter and cleared his throat, pasting on a friendly smile. "Hi, I'm Ezra. Is Alena here yet?"

"She's in the back," came the flat response as the waitress looked up, narrowed green eyes meeting Ezra's vibrant blue. "Why do you want to see her?"

"Well, see, I wanted to talk to her about something we were talking about yesterday, and I wanted to see if she could help me with something."

The waitress's eyes narrowed further as she appeared to study the teenaged boy, hand coming up and resting on her chin. "Uh huh," she said noncommittally. "And what exactly would that be?"

"It's—uh, it's actually kind of personal, and I'd like to talk about it with Alena before telling some random stranger," Ezra said, feeling a little defensive. Why did he feel like this was more of an interrogation than a casual conversation?

The teenaged girl leaned forward, resting her arms on the table, and spoke quietly to Ezra with a raised eyebrow. "Or maybe it's because you want to do something that you don't want getting back to your crew because you think they won't approve? Something that you know doesn't fit their values and beliefs?"

"What?" Ezra asked, jerking back in surprise for a second. Everything in him was telling him _danger, get away from her_. "What makes you think that?"

"Because I know your type," was the hard response, the waitress looking at him with narrowed eyes, a dark expression passing over her face. "I know _exactly_ what it is you want, and why you want it. And I'm telling you that it's not worth it. So stop thinking about it."

Ezra felt anger coursing through his blood as he hotly answered, "You don't know anything about me; you just met me! And I don't think—" He was interrupted when he saw Rex come up beside him; apparently, he'd come looking for Ezra.

"Hey, kid," Rex said with a tired smile. "We were wondering where you went."

"Yeah, I just came down here to talk to Alena; I want to know more about what she was talking about yesterday." Ezra said. And that was true; he did mean to talk to Alena about magic. He wasn't lying. It wasn't a lie if it was true, right?

"I was meaning to come down here to ask her, too," Rex said as Ezra spotted Alena coming out from the back. She took in the scene before her, clenching her jaw when she saw the waitress in front of the two rebels, and took action, to Ezra's relief. There was definitely something _off_ about her co-worker, but Ezra couldn't pinpoint it.

"Victoria, why don't you go wait on some of the customers over there?" Alena asked in a tight voice as she glared at the other girl. The waitress, Victoria, apparently, shook her head and headed out of the bar area, leaving the other three in peace. Alena immediately adopted a calmer demeanor, and smiled. "Sorry about her; she can be pretty trying most of the time. Now, how are you two doing?"

"Okay," Ezra said eagerly. "We went to the Kalifan Court, and apparently they needed time to debate about having Kalifa join us."

"Mmmm," Alena nodded in affirmation, "they tend to debate about stuff a lot, so don't feel too bad; it's completely normal. They'll probably contact you in about a week or so."

"Oh," Ezra said, not sure what they'd be doing to pass the time. "Well, we also wanted to talk to you a little more about what you talked about yesterday. You know," Ezra lowered his voice, "magic and magicians."

Alena raised her eyebrows. "Ah, I was hoping I'd get to tell you all about it; I know Rebecca didn't tell you about a lot, Rex, and I know she'd want you to know. Come on," Alena beckoned to them as she turned, "we can talk in the back."

"But, don't you have to work?" Rex asked, a furrow entering his brow. Alena appeared to think about it for a minute, then snapped her fingers.

"I'll have Victoria cover for me; she's done it before, after all," Alena moved out from behind the bar and Ezra saw her walking over to Victoria and talking to her. After a minute, he saw Victoria silently nod, even as a hint of anger entered her otherwise neutral expression, and Alena returned to the Padawan and Captain. "Okay, I can talk with you now; come on."

* * *

 _Life had been heaven for Violet in Masato City. She had a job she really loved, a good boss, and she was loving her education at the Kalifan Academy. Life was practically perfect for her. And, though she did miss her mom and sister, she was glad that she was able to be her own person for once._

" _So, I hear your trial month is almost up, Violet," Jezebel said brightly as she set the other girl's caf cup in front of her. "How does that feel for you?"_

" _It feels great, actually," Violet said, smiling as she picked up her caf and drank a few gulps of it. "I really do love this job; thank you so much for telling me about it. I owe you one."_

" _I'll certainly keep that in mind, Violet," Jezebel answered with a smile, yellow aura flitting about aimlessly. Violet quickly finished her caf and stood up to return to the flower shop, even though she had about another hour on her break left. It couldn't hurt to get an early start on things._

" _Hey, did I mention that my younger sister is coming up for a visit in a couple weeks?"_

" _No, you didn't, but I can't wait to meet her and see what she's like; I bet she's just like you!" Jezebel said with a grin. Violet laughed as she left the caf shop. Her sister was as far from being her as Violet was from being their mother._

 _Stepping into the flower shop, she stopped beside a bookshelf filled with flowers and paused to smell their scents. Then she heard a muffled sound from the back; it sounded like something had fallen down back there. She stepped into the back and entered Vicino's office, being greeted by a sight she was certain would scar her for life._

* * *

 _A/N: For those of you who might think that Alena is being a little too quick to trust the rebels, just know that that's completely in character for her. She has a tendency to make snap decisions and judgments about others without getting the whole story first, and she thinks that all rebels fighting against the Empire are all good people that can basically do no wrong, and can be trusted in all ways. And maybe that's naive of her to think like that, but she doesn't exactly get off the planet all that much (just that one time when the Empire attacked the Shadow Squadron). Also, she's just happy that she gets to share her culture with somebody, since she's been forced to be very mum on the subject for the last five years._

 _So, any ideas on what that scarring experience Violet witnessed was? Leave a comment below about what you think about this chapter, since reviews are food for a fanfiction writer's soul!_


	7. History of the Storms

_A/N: Last chapter until summer ends! Also, thank you for favoriting this story, Zaconator and Zackis, and thanks for reviewing again, CaptainReb; I appreciate it!_

* * *

 **Chapter 6: History of the Storms**

Alena sat at a nearby table in the back and beckoned the other two humans to join her, trying to keep from getting nervous. It had been a long time since she'd so much as whispered a word of magician history to anyone, let alone outsiders. She just had to trust that they wouldn't take abuse of that knowledge. But, despite it all, she couldn't help but remember what Victoria had said just that morning.

* * *

" _You told them about Rebecca AND you told them about magic?!_ _You don't even know if they can be trusted!" Victoria hissed, eyes narrowing at the older girl. "They might be undercover agents for the Empire, for all you know!"_

 _Alena scoffed dismissively. "Please! We both know that, if Rex is everything that Rebecca said before she died—and we both know she'd never lied to us about anything—then he is someone who can be trusted!"_

" _Well,_ he _might be, but the company he keeps might not. I mean, you don't even know anything about them except that they're rebels, and we both know what happened to the_ last _rebels that came to Kalifa! And what happened_ because _they came from Kalifa!_ _And don't even_ try _to defend that_ Ezra Bridger _; I can practically smell the dark presence over him!" Victoria's eyes flashed with barely concealed anger as Alena shook her head._

" _Well, what do you expect? He's fighting the Empire, for the Force's sake! Of_ course _he's been forced to make some tough choices, Victoria!"_

" _Don't lie, Alena! We both know that's not the real reason! He's been using the Dark Side of the Force!"_

 _Alena growled at Victoria, at her wit's end with that girl and her need to distrust everything and everyone. Just like always. "Oh, like_ you're _some incredible model of restraint against dark power? Don't you_ dare _think, for one moment, that I've_ ever _forgotten about what you did when the Empire came!"_

 _Victoria's eyes narrowed into slits, and her mouth became set in a grim line as she clenched her jaw, shaking her dark ponytail at Alena. "That doesn't make what I told you any less true. You can't deny that you have no idea who these people actually are! You're just assuming everything without any type of evidence to support it! You'll destroy us all because they 'seemed so nice!'"_

 _Alena huffed at Victoria, shaking her head at her. "I don't have time for this; let's just get this shift over with without one of us trying to murder the other. I know that_ you'll _have to restrain yourself a lot more than_ me. _" Victoria's posture became ramrod-straight as her eyes burned darkly at the older girl, and even Alena had to admit that that was a low blow, but she just couldn't control her mouth sometimes, and she wanted to stop talking with that girl. There was never any point in it. Not with Victoria._

* * *

Alena quickly shook off the memory and focused on the people in front of her, nervously tucking her short hair behind her ears, and flashing a false smile at them. Victoria was wrong about these people; she just knew it. "Sh-should I start from the beginning?"

"That'd be a good place to start," Ezra said, resting one of his arms on the table with narrowed blue eyes. Something about that look was…off, but Alena quickly shook it away. It was just Victoria getting to her. Nothing was wrong with him.

"Okay, but…it's quite extensive. Then again, you did ask for it, so I'll try my best." Alena began. "But it's been a while since I've heard the stories, so some details may be a bit…fuzzy for me, but I'll do my best. So, I'll start at the beginning." She cleared her throat; she had a lot of talking ahead of her, and she leaned forward cautiously.

"Well, you know that Rebecca is a magician by now. But, you probably don't know a whole lot about her…um, familial history. Rebecca's family was known for being among the most powerful magicians in the galaxy, which is weird, because those in it that became magicians only lasted for the last few generations. The way I heard it, was that, hundreds—or maybe it was thousands of years ago, nobody's really sure how long ago it was, but I'm missing the point again. Anyway, it all started with Rebecca Storm's mother, a woman named Skylar. She was raised in the Jedi Order since her birth, and had always had a strong Force connection. And she also had powers that other Jedi didn't have, which was actually magic, but she didn't realize what she could do until she was about sixteen years old. She didn't know it, but she had these abilities due to the blessing of a certain manifestation of the Force. Legend has that it takes the form of a huge phoenix bird, made of golden flames, and guided magicians back in ancient times. But, soon, the Phoenix had to leave the mortal plane, so it personally found and trained the First Phoenix Magician, a person that had been imbued with the Phoenix's power, which is known as the Phoenix Blessing, and is one of the most powerful magicians in known existence. And Skylar was that first person."

"Wait, what?" Ezra interrupted, obviously confused, eyebrows furrowing. "But you said that was who-knows-how many years ago! How can that be possible?"

"I was going to say how that's possible, actually," Alena said patiently, smiling slightly at the younger teenager's obvious eagerness to learn. "Anyway, like I said, when she was sixteen, she told the Jedi Council that she'd started discovering her magical abilities, but they refused to listen to her claims, believing that she was falling to the Dark Side. When she refused to stop using her new-found abilities, they…well, to be blunt, they literally threw her out of the Jedi Order to fend for herself. And she went on her own journey to figure out what was happening to her. Eventually, she realized the truth about the Phoenix and the magical abilities she had, and learned to control them with the help of the Phoenix, since, even though the Phoenix may not have always been with her physically, it was always connected to the Phoenix Magician. And when she was twenty-one years old, she cast a spell on herself that prevented her from physically aging, _ever_. She'd always look like a young adult until someone finally killed her. Then she proceeded to find, train, and guide other magicians in the mystical arts. Then, she had a student who, unfortunately, became the First Dark Magician, and also cast an anti-aging spell on himself."

"What happened to him? How'd he become a Dark Magician?" Ezra interrupted. Alena smiled sadly at him, wishing she could say.

"Unfortunately, I don't remember what happened that managed to turn him. I remember he was one of Skylar's most promising magicians, and that he might have had a…thing for her, but that's about all I remember about him before he became a Dark Magician. Anyway, he declared basically war with Skylar, and spent the rest of his life trying to destroy or turn her and her other magic students, while trying to amass an army of Dark Magicians. And they were always at each other's throats for a long time afterward."

"Eventually, the Phoenix Blessing left Skylar one day, moving to another host to start the cycle over again; apparently the Phoenix doesn't like to have its power stay in one place for too long. That meant that Skylar's power began to wane, but since she couldn't age, she didn't die, and the Dark Magicians couldn't kill her, either. So, she kept training more magicians and fighting the Dark Magicians. Then, one day, she met a self-taught bounty hunter magician named Eliakai. Needless to say, they fell in love and got married, having a family that started with their first-born daughter, Violet."

"She ended up becoming a Dark Magician, didn't she?" Rex asked, raising an eyebrow. Alena glumly nodded, remembering the pain in her old mentors' expressions as they recounted the event.

"Yeah, she did eventually. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Skylar and Eliakai were happy for a time, but then Skylar became pregnant with her second child, and the First Dark Magician somehow decided that that second child would become a threat to him and the power of his followers, so he hunted down the family. Eventually, he caught them, and Skylar ended up giving birth in a dungeon, which is really not the best place to have a kid, if you ask me. For some reason, though, he didn't kill Rebecca when she was born; I guess he wanted to turn Rebecca into another Dark Magician, but he wanted Skylar to give her to him willingly. And, each time, she refused, even as he forced her and her older daughter to watch Eliakai literally get ripped to pieces. I heard that they ended up burning what was left afterward." Alena shuddered as she spoke.

* * *

 _Skylar Storm was roughly pushed through the doorway by the guard "escorting" her to the castle's balcony, trying to keep a firm hold on the newborn child wrapped in rags. Her older daughter, Violet, kept a firm hold on her mother's leg, pushing her face into the clothing. Even at two years old, she could sense the malevolent intent in the air. Skylar smiled sadly as the thought came to her. If they got out of there alive, she'd make sure her daughter was trained the right way._

 _The smile faded away as a dark figure stepped out of the balcony's shadows. The Dark Magician Spero, once her romantic interest, now her greatest enemy. His dark hair was cut severely short, the dark robes hiding his imposing figure. His dark-skinned face was still young and handsome, but that was to be expected, since he didn't age either. His sapphire-blue eyes looked at her coldly; any love that had once been there in the past had been swept away by his madness and evil._

 _"Evening, darling. I hope you've been comfortable these past weeks, since you've given birth to your child now." His eyes dropped to the baby in Skylar's arms, greedily staring at her, arms moving as if to take her by force. But he wouldn't do that. He couldn't, not since she had cast a protection spell on Rebecca (and also Violet) before she had even been born. Before she had been imprisoned, and her magic had been nullified. "I hope you've changed your mind about keeping her."_

 _Skylar raised an eyebrow at him. Every month, he asked the same thing, hoping her and her family's harsh imprisonment would change her mind. It never did. No matter what happened, she would never condemn her daughter, either of them, actually, to live a fate worse than death with him, where he would twist their minds and souls with his dark magic and manipulation for his own purposes. "Like I've told you before, Spero, no. I won't give her up to you, no matter what you do."_

 _A dark smirk appeared on his lips as she spoke, eyes alight with dark humor, as though he knew something she didn't. Skylar's dark blue eyes narrowed suspiciously as he looked out over the balcony. "No matter what I do, eh?" He chuckled darkly as his prisoner watched wordlessly, the baby in her arms giving a little wail, the toddler at her side clutching her clothing tighter between her tiny fingers. "It's funny that you say that, Sky, because, I was wondering what I would have to do to make you give up your daughter. What would be enough to break you, in particular? Imprisonment hasn't broken you, after all; it's only made your convictions stronger, which is admirable," he admitted, "but futile. Neither has breaking your husband's bones every week, when I take him down to the 'special dungeon.' Then it came to me. It's not what_ I _would do that matters; it's what_ you _would do." He pointed at Skylar as he spoke, and a chill of foreboding ran down her spine. "Your decisions, your choices, not mine, matter to you. Well, I'm giving you a choice now, Skylar_ Storm _." He bit out her last name bitterly, jealousy that she had chosen someone other than him to love flashing over his face. "What are you willing to live without more? An insignificant baby," his gaze redirected to the newborn as he beckoned Skylar to look over the balcony, "or your_ true _love?" Disdain shone on his face as he spoke of Skylar's husband, and as she looked out over the balcony to the clearing below, she suddenly realized what he meant._

 _On the grounds below, her husband Eliakai was lying spread-eagle on the ground, scarred face staring up into her eyes, the soldiers around him holding him down as they tied the ends of four metallic ropes to his arms and legs, one for each appendage. Following the ropes with her eyes, Skylar saw the other ends of the ropes tied to four different horses, all standing in different directions with their backs to the man they were tied to. Skylar clenched her jaw as she looked at him, and felt Violet move from her legs to wordlessly stare at her helpless father, fist jammed into her mouth to keep from crying out to him._

 _"Now, when I give the order, my men will force those animals to run as hard and fast as they can in the directions they're currently turned to. The ropes will follow, and so will your precious husband. The only question is how many pieces he'll be ripped into." Spero smiled sadistically at Skylar as she sharply inhaled and turned her head away, feeling tears gather at the corners. "Choose wisely, my girl. And I'll even give you a bonus: give up your baby, and I'll let your husband and other daughter go free, and I'll never bother them again. So, what's it going to be?" A manic light shone in his eyes, obviously taking pleasure in her indecision._

 _If she took his offer, the next time she saw her younger daughter again, she'd be her sworn enemy, indoctrinated into dark practices for as long as she lived with Spero. On the other hand, if she refused, her husband would be painfully killed. And she'd still be in prison either way. But...she should have suspected this day to come, for her to have to choose between her child and husband. That was just how Spero was; he enjoyed watching her suffer, and either way, she would. But she knew that he thought he had found her weakest spot of vulnerability in her husband's death. He thought that she couldn't live without him._

 _But he didn't know anything about love anymore._

 _Locking eyes with Eliakai below, she silently conveyed her thoughts, her decision, into his dark brown eyes. He understood, and silently nodded, giving his blessing to her decision, no matter what that entailed for him. Skylar turned to face Spero, a defiant look in her eyes meeting his smug gaze._

 _"Go ahead, then, Spero."_

 _Spero's evilly smug look faltered at her words, a confused look coming over his face. "What? You mean you're just going to let your husband die?" His confusion quickly turned to rage as she nodded solemnly. "But you'll be separated forever if you don't hand over that child, witch!"_

 _"That's something you've never been able to understand, Spero." Skylar said firmly, yet sadly. "We won't be separated forever; just for a little while." She gazed at her baby snuggled in her arms, a wistful smile coming over her face. "We'll see each other again someday."_

 _Spero's eyes burned with a mad fire as he watched her, becoming more enraged with every word. "Well, if you're that confident about it, then you'll have no problem with me making sure it's as painful as possible for you," he said with a quiet, simmering anger as a guard grabbed Skylar and forcefully thrust her head over the balcony to stare at the bound magician below. Skylar struggled to keep a firm hold on her baby as she was jostled, and she spotted another guard grabbing little Violet and lifting her over the balcony so she also had a clear view of her father._

 _Spero wordlessly lifted his hand high above his head and swiftly brought it down, signaling his soldiers below into action. As Skylar helplessly watched, the horses Eliakai was tied to were fiercely whipped, spurring them into action. Tears streamed down her face as his ropes went taut for a moment as the horses started running. She shut her eyes as his horrible screams reached her ears along with the unmistakable wet sound of ripping flesh. The screams abruptly stopped, but were quickly replaced by the terrified screams of Skylar's two-year old daughter._

* * *

"But I'm missing the point again. Anyway, Skylar eventually broke out of his prison with her children, and used most of her magic to finally defeat the First Dark Magician and imprison his spirit inside his own black iron sword."

"After that, she moved to Kalifa to raise Violet and Rebecca, but was ultimately killed by Violet when she somehow got it into her head to find the First Dark Magician's sword, and became possessed by it, going insane in the process. After about three years, she was finally killed by her own sister, Rebecca Storm, and…well, I'm sure you know the rest of that story, as I've told you."

"But..." Ezra narrowed his eyes as a thought entered his mind, "...they were all powerful magicians, though?"

Alena nodded. "They were powerful, yes, but there were others in the galaxy who either wanted that power or saw them as a threat, and...well, you've heard what happened to them all. Skylar was killed by her own _daughter_ , Eliakai was literally ripped to _pieces_ , Violet was killed by Rebecca, and Rebecca got blown up by a Sith Lord. If they were alive today, I'm sure they would have told you that they wished they didn't have that much magical power. It was a...pretty big burden for them all, and they paid the price for it with their lives."

For a few minutes, neither of the rebels in front of her spoke. Rex looked like he was taking a moment to comprehend it all, adopting a serious expression, and Ezra…well, he certainly looked sad, but but he also seemed...excited in a way that made Alena a little uncomfortable. She'd just outlined the basics of the most powerful line of magicians in history, which was filled with more bad than good, to be honest, and he looked…almost like he was _happy_ about the story. It was a little creepy. She was beginning to think that Victoria may not have been too far off the mark about him. But she couldn't be right. She just couldn't be. Finally, Rex spoke.

"Could you elaborate on this 'Phoenix Blessing,' Alena? You said it eventually passed on from Skylar Storm. So, there's more than one Phoenix Magician?" His brow furrowed as he spoke, and Alena was glad to have a question she could answer.

"Erm, yeah, there have been multiple Phoenix Magicians in our history, but the Blessing only passes to one person at a time, so there's only one Phoenix Magician at one point, not multiple at the same time. Nobody's sure when the Blessing is supposed to move on from its previous host; sometimes people have had it for twenty years, and others have only had it for a year. Each time, though, when the Phoenix Blessing leaves a person, his or her magic diminishes considerably, because a lot of it came from that Blessing. However, a small part of its power still remains in those previous hosts for as long as they live afterward, and finally leaves permanently when they have died. Our last Phoenix Magician was actually Rebecca Storm's friend, Dakota Farthing, my second trainer."

"I bet she was handy to have in a battle," Ezra spoke up with a small smile. Alena smiled back at him uncomfortably.

"I suppose she could have been, but she had...issues about battles and war in general. Her parents' entire lives were centered around war, and she didn't exactly have a happy childhood because of it, unfortunately."

"So, if she's dead now, then who's the current Phoenix Magician?" Ezra said, leaning forward eagerly. Alena studied him for a moment, and was sort of glad for what she was about to say next. He was being a little too... _prying_ for her comfort.

"Actually, no one knows who the current one is. He or she has yet to make their presence known in the magic society. Either that, or the Phoenix permanently took back its Blessing, leaving us to fend for ourselves without a Phoenix Magician."

"That seems...kind of harsh." Ezra said, visibly deflating. Alena narrowed her eyes at him, not liking how he was acting about this whole thing. Why was he taking all this so personally?

"Maybe, but we've been getting along fine without one for the past five years. I'm sure we'll be fine, but—"

"Alena? Are you coming out anytime soon? The place is getting packed out there." Alena jerked her head up and internally groaned at Victoria poking her head through the doorway as she testily spoke, feeling her hackles rise. She always had to interrupt. She shook her head exasperatedly, trying to keep a hold on her temper, and answered through gritted teeth.

"I'll be out in a little bit, Victoria; don't worry. Besides, you've handled worse than a mob of customers in the past years. You can keep up for a little while longer."

Victoria narrowed her dark green eyes and silently shook her head at the older girl before ducking back out. Ezra turned to Alena from his seat. "Well, you two don't seem to like each other very much. Why would that be?"

Alena breathed out shakily. She certainly wasn't prepared for an interrogation, of sorts, about her own life. This guy _was_ kind of weird. But, she supposed that she had to tell them sometime. Especially if she was going to join their rebel cause. No secrets then. "Our relationship is...very complicated, to say the least. Victoria and I grew up together, and we were once like sisters. But...everything changed when Rebecca and Dakota were killed, and the Empire came to Kalifa. She...she decided to do something...that can't ever be forgiven, and I realized that...maybe I never knew her at all." She snapped her head up suddenly, putting on a smile, trying to put the other two humans at ease. It didn't hurt anymore. It _didn't_. "And that's all you need to know about it."

Ezra nodded, a somber expression crossing his face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Alena waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine; there are just some things I don't like talking about." Alena stood up from the table as she spoke. "I have to go back to my shift; I hope I explained things well enough for you—" A knock at the back door interrupted Alena, and she curiously opened it, wondering who would be knocking at the _back_ entrance to a cantina. But there was no one there. She looked around, and noticed a stack of papers on the ground. Maybe they were a little out-of-date nowadays, but they were still useful for getting information across quickly and discreetly. She groaned as she realized what was on the flyers, and picked them up, bringing them back inside, depositing them in the nearby trashcan. "I swear, if I get another stack of these stupid things, I'm going to track down whoever's responsible and wring their necks out."

"What are they?" Rex asked curiously, picking one out of the garbage. Alena shook her head tiredly as she answered.

"It's just a bunch of flyers about this meeting of an underground movement group in Masato City. It's called 'Kalifa's Saviors,' but it's just about a whole bunch of people bad-mouthing the government and how it should be overthrown. I hear it's very... _convincing_ , however. I've never actually gone to one, but from the word-of-mouth I hear it's very hard-core." Alena tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice as she spoke of this group. Sometimes, she just couldn't believe how gullible other people were.

"Is that what you meant when you said there was talk about the government joining the Empire?" Rex asked curiously. "These...'Saviors' spread that rumor?"

Alena sighed. "I'm assuming so, Rex. They're the only ones that seem crazy enough to spread that kind of stuff. I've heard that the Kalifan Court's been trying to stamp it out, but they haven't been doing such a good job."

"Well, then maybe we should crash this meeting," Ezra said, taking the flyer from the older human and reading it. "Maybe if we can get rid of these people, the Court will decide to have Kalifa join us."

Alena raised an eyebrow skeptically at that. "Maybe, I suppose, but some of those court members are pretty slimy creatures. But I guess it's your best chance right now."

"Do you know where we can find the meeting place, Alena?" Rex asked as he leaned forward. Alena wrung her hands together nervously as an idea came to her.

"Well, I suppose I have an idea; I know a guy who might have an idea of where they meet."

"Great," Ezra said, smiling broadly.

"Well, I don't think we should keep you from your job much longer, Alena." Rex put in, standing up. "We'd better get back to the crew."

"Take care," Alena nodded at them, raising her hand in farewell to them. Rex nodded and walked out the back entrance, but Ezra hovered behind for a minute. "What is it, Ezra?"

"Well, I was just wondering," he began, turning to her. Alena was immediately on guard. This kid was _really_ starting to ask too many questions for her comfort. "Is it possible for a Jedi to have magic powers?"

Alena blinked at Ezra for a moment, not really sure what to say to that. "I...I don't really know, to be honest. I suppose that it could be possible, since you have a Force connection, but I've never really heard of a Jedi, besides Skylar, that is, getting magic powers."

"But, hypothetically speaking, if I had a magic teacher, I could develop the abilities, right?" Ezra asked hopefully, a strange light in his blue eyes.

"M-maybe," Alena stuttered. "I don't really know."

"Then, maybe _you_ could teach me?" Ezra asked. "It'd be a great weapon to have against the Empire, and magic seems like a useful skill to have. You could do _anything_ with it."

"I-er," Alena stuttered, not really knowing how to proceed. There was something...off about him, but she supposed she could test him to see if he had any magical affinity, and go from there. "I suppose I could _test_ you, to see if you have any capacity for it."

"Great!" Ezra said, smiling brightly, looking like a carefree boy for a moment. "How about tomorrow?"

"Sure," Alena said, flashing a false smile, trying not to give away how uneasy she felt. Ezra waved and left, leaving Alena to her increasing uneasiness about him. But Victoria just _couldn't_ be right about him. She'd never been right about anything else, so why should this time be any different?

* * *

 _Violet remembered the day she had first met the flower shop's best customer, Rem. She remembered thinking that she was very pretty, in her early twenties or so, with light skin and long blonde hair, and a red aura flickering around her lithe body. She remembered how that woman had spoken to her, always calling her these weird pet names like "hon" or "sweet cheeks" in a sugary-sweet voice. Sure, it had been annoying, but she had gotten used to it since Rem came in at least once a week to either order flowers to be hand-delivered by the owner, or to complain that she had gotten the wrong flowers. Violet had remembered thinking that was really strange when she had been the one to put together Rem's flowers, and had made sure that she got the order right, but, again, she had gotten over it. She had had classes at the Academy to deal with, and other orders to focus on filling. She had never thought that something was up with how Rem had been. That there was actually a_ purpose _to all of those complaints and claims._

 _Now she realized what a mistake that had been as she walked into Vicino's office and caught Rem wrapped around her boss, who was_ married _, and was currently sucking his face off. For a moment, Violet froze. She wasn't sure what to do about something like_ this _. Her mom had never told her what to do if she accidentally walked in on an_ affair, _of all things. Then she got mad. How_ dare _Vicino do this to his wife, betray her trust like this? Mary was one of the nicest people she'd ever met, who came into the shop when Violet and Vicino were working late and gave them a home-cooked dinner to eat, who always asked Violet how her day was going and how her studies were coming along, who always smiled adoringly at her husband like he was the only one in the room. And while all that was going on, he was cheating on her with another woman the whole time. Mary didn't deserve to be treated like that. Not for a second._

 _She loudly and pointedly cleared her throat, interrupting the couple in front of her, who both sprang apart like the other was on fire. Vicino turned to Violet, surprise clear in his eyes. "Violet? I thought you were on break for another hour." He spoke as if he hadn't just been involved in the most scandalous thing she'd seen yet, and it only increased her ire._

 _"I wanted to get started early, so I came back. I thought something had crashed in here, and went to see what was wrong." Violet's voice was cold and pointed as she raised an eyebrow at Rem, who was turning an embarrassed red under the younger girl's stare, and crossed her arms. "And don't tell me that it's not what it looks like; I may be young, but I am_ not _stupid. But I do want to know what you have to say for yourself. I think you owe me that much, at least, after what I've just seen."_

 _"A-all right," Vicino said cautiously, red aura flickering with his emotion as Rem quickly exited, muttering about letting them hash it out. "Please, sit."_

 _"I'll stand, thank you very much." Violet said, turning her gaze to him. She didn't even want to_ think _about where else they might have had their...thing in his office. Or anywhere else in the shop, for that matter._

 _"Right, then," Vicino cleared his throat. "Well, as you know, Rem is one of our best customers, and there was just this..._ spark _between us when we met. One thing led to another, and we...we fell in love." Vicino smiled with an expression Violet had never seen him give his wife as he spoke. It made her sick to her stomach. "Now, I can't expect you to understand, given the circumstances, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't say anything to Mary yet, please."_

 _"Why not?" Violet asked coldly, as Vicino's smile faltered. "Is it because you want to tell her yourself? Or is it because you don't even want her to know?"_

 _"I'm waiting for the right time, Violet," Vicino said in a hard voice, eyes narrowing. "I can't expect you to understand how difficult it is for me, but I really_ can't _have you saying anything to Mary. That's for me to decide."_

 _"And how long will that be, exactly? Never?" Violet asked doubtfully with scorn. "I can't_ believe _you! You're married to a woman who is obviously smitten with you, and maybe she doesn't look like she belongs in a fashion holo, but that doesn't give you the right to trample all over her and take advantage of her love and trust for you! How can you_ even _think that I'll be going along with your little charade?"_

 _"Because, if you don't, I'll fire you," Vicino said in a chilly, quiet voice and, as Violet looked closer, his red aura flickered, and she could actually_ read _his malicious thoughts and intentions for a split second. At her_ _stunned silence, he continued. "And that means no more apartment, and no more Academy, because I'll make sure you'll never get a job anywhere else in this city. And unless you want that to happen,_ little girl _, you'll keep your mouth shut and do everything I say, with no questions asked. I have the power to destroy everything you want and have, and I'll do it, unless you do what I want. I will_ not _have my reputation ruined like this by_ you _, of all people. Any_ _questions?" He smirked knowingly at Violet as she remained silent, silently simmering over her predicament. She knew that she should tell his wife, but she also loved her job (well, maybe not so much after today), and she loved going to the Academy. And she had no doubt that he'd make good on his promise. And most of all, she couldn't stand to hear her mother say, "I told you so," if she came back home like this, with absolutely_ nothing _to show for all her hard work in the Academy._ _"No? Then get back out there and do your job!"_

* * *

 _A/N: So, what do you think, I wonder? Leave a comment below to share your thoughts, since reviews are food for a fanfiction writer's soul, and have a great summer!_


	8. Locating Loss

_A/N: Well, I'm back again, and just in time for my first day of college tomorrow! I hope you've all had a good summer and that you all enjoyed the American Eclipse as much as I did! Enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Locating Loss**

Alena knocked on the door and patiently waited, shifting her bag on her arm. After a few minutes, the door slid open and a big man beckoned her inside. Giving her old friend a large smile, she obliged him, stepping into the building as the door slid shut again. Inside, the man gave her a big hug, and she grunted at the sheer force of it, attempting to reach her own arms around him to return the affection. Needless to say, she couldn't do it, and her arms uselessly fell to her sides as she gasped for breath and her host lifted her off the ground.

"Okay, okay," she finally managed to choke out. "Thanks; I've…missed you, too. Now…can you _please_ …put me down, Odin?"

Odin finally relented and released the young woman, and Alena paused for a few minutes to catch her breath while Odin sat in a nearby chair. He was a large, strong Human in his early-to-late forties with jet-black hair and skin the color of caf. And he had a reputation for being a very jolly, happy person, despite the uncertainty of the Empire looming above the galaxy, which Alena always found a bit confusing. Nevertheless, he was a good friend of Dakota Farthing's, and she knew he could be trusted.

Finally having caught her breath, Alena straightened up and sat across from Odin in another chair. He smiled gladly at her, dark eyes twinkling playfully as he spoke.

"Well, Alena, it's good to see you again! How long has it been, at least a month or so?" He waved his hand dramatically as he spoke rapidly, seeming to have several thoughts in his head at once he just _had_ to get off his chest. "Ah, never mind about that; it's time to catch up! Gorgeous weather today, isn't it, _chica_? It's been the strangest bout of weather we've had here; only a couple days ago, this planet was blanketed in snow, and now it's like the first day of spring. Isn't that incredible?"

"Erm, yeah," Alena stuttered, trying to see how she'd get a word in edgewise as he continued chattering away, and also a little guilty for not going to see him for such a long time. He didn't seem to be bothered much by that fact, but she knew very well that he could just be hiding his emotions away, like how she always hid behind a smiling mask lately. But she shook those thoughts away; she was there for a reason, and she couldn't get sidetracked from it. Thankfully, Odin seemed to be winding down on his talk about the weather, or the government officials, or a random homeless man he saw on the streets.

"So, how have you been, Alena?" He finally finished, not even appearing to take a breath during the entire time he'd been talking. Alena steeled herself, regretting ruining his day with what she was going to say next.

"Well, Odin, now that you mention it, there is a reason about why I'm here today." Odin's great grin wavered a little at her serious, business-like tone as she opened her satchel and showed him a flyer of the so-called "Kalifa's Saviors." "Now, there are a group of rebels on the planet, and they think that they should break up this gang that's been hounding around the capital city. Unfortunately, they don't know where these people meet up, so I was hoping you might be able to tell me."

Odin reached for the flyer and scrutinized it as he took in the young woman's words, eyes narrowed and smile now vanished. He appeared to ponder it over, then stood and walked over to his desk, beckoning Alena to follow. There, he opened a drawer and took out some datapads, selecting one and activating it. The 'pad lit the room in a blue glow as it showed a map of Masato City.

"Now, let's see all the police reports of where these people have had their meetings," Odin began, taking out another datapad and linking it up with the holomap in front of the couple. After a few taps, several buildings turned red. Alena looked on in respect and admiration as Odin continued speaking; she wished she could be as capable and self-sufficient as people like him. "Now, the red buildings signify where all the meetings of the Saviors have been held. However, according to the reports, none of the buildings were used as meeting places more than once, and every time the police attempted to raid them, they always found the buildings cleared out and empty." Alena nodded along with Odin's words as she stared at the holomap and the red buildings. As she studied them, she couldn't help but feel like there was something familiar about the particular pattern of the meeting places. It felt like the answer was on the tip of her tongue, but she just couldn't remember what it was.

"And, how do we figure out where they'll have their next meeting?" Alena inquired to her friend.

He shook his head at her as he answered matter-of-factly, "Well, actually, Alena, we don't figure that out."

 _What?_ Now Alena was confused about why he had even shown her the holomap in the first place if it wouldn't help them find out where the next meeting would be held. "What do you mean by that, Odin?"

"I mean that we won't know the specific place they'll have their meeting until they've had it, unfortunately." Odin explained patiently. "I believe that the attendees of the meetings first meet up with the Saviors in the same place, and _then_ they're told where the meeting is to be held. It's quite ingenious, really," Odin added as he focused on the 'map. "You can't figure out where an individual meeting will be held exactly by looking at just the buildings, you have to look _underneath_ the obvious to find what's actually happening. Fortunately, in our case, that's a literal term." Odin finished with a smile as he tapped on his datapad. Alena was about to ask what his cryptic words were supposed to mean when she noticed the change in the holomap. There was still the image of the capital city, but now there was a second image inlaid beneath it, a labyrinth of tunnels and caves that interconnected each other in a seemingly never-ending maze. It also connected the buildings the Saviors had used.

Now Alena remembered why the pattern of the buildings looked so familiar. A memory surfaced in her mind of when she was a young girl, wide-eyed with innocence, and her old mentor, Dakota Farthing. She was showing her pupil a map of the area around and in the capital, tracing a certain pattern on it with a red stylus. The same pattern that was now the exact thing that was in front of her. She couldn't believe she didn't see it before. Then again, it had been several years since that day. "So, the Saviors are using the underground tunnels beneath the city to hold their meetings?"

Odin nodded with a small smile. "Yes, and all they have to do to escape the police raids is slip underneath the building through hidden trap doors, I imagine. All the attendees have to do is go underground and follow the people already there to the meetings. The police never thought to check the old archives in their investigations, so they knew they'd be in the clear if they were careful."

"Wow, this is…this is incredible, Odin! Thanks; I'm sure that this will help the rebels to stamp out these people." Alena exclaimed excitedly at the possibility of those terrorists no longer being a threat to Kalifa. She smiled largely at Odin in gratitude and got ready to leave, slinging her satchel over her shoulder.

"You're leaving already?" Alena paused at Odin's words and turned back, smiling apologetically.

"I'd like to get this information to the rebels so they can have enough time to form a good plan," she explained, and Odin nodded. "Is there any other reason that I should stay?"

"Well, it's been a while, Alena; I'd like to catch up with you, see how you've been."

Alena bit her lower lip nervously, unsure how to answer. Yes, he was an old friend, but she really wanted to get her information back to the rebels. But she supposed it couldn't hurt to talk for a little while. She sat back in her chair. "All right, what do you want to talk about?"

"Well, for starters, how's your job going?" Odin began, looking at her quizzically.

Alena smiled as she answered. "It's alright, I suppose. I'm still working at the cantina and it's…interesting, to say the least. The customers there can be pains, but none of them are criminals, thankfully, so I'm pretty safe working there, for the most part."

"That's good; it's always nice to have a pretty stable job," Odin agreed. "But I was wondering about an old friend of ours, Victoria Violetta. Do you know how she's been?"

Alena remained silent at his question, jaw angrily clenched as she thought about what to say about that…that _person_. Now she wished she had politely declined Odin's invitation and just left. Talking about Victoria always put her in a bad mood. Now she was stuck.

Gritting her teeth, Alena slowly answered. "She's…so hard to work with, Odin. I keep thinking she'll kill me in my sleep; she's always so _angry_. Odin, she uses _every_ opportunity to push my buttons, and it's so infuriating! She's just so…ergh!" Alena groaned angrily as Odin solemnly looked on. She knew she should have a better control on her temper, but she always lost her cool around Victoria.

"What makes you think that she's so horrible?" Odin stunned Alena with his question. Surely, he didn't think Victoria could ever be trusted with anything? Her blow-up when she grilled Alena about the rebels proved that.

"Because of all the things she's done, Odin? Don't you remember that she left the planet, abandoned _us_ when we were in the worst position ever? And for _them_ , of all the people in the galaxy?! The most horrible people who've ever existed! And she became one of them! And then she comes back after _five_ years, and just expects us to welcome her with open arms and _forgiveness_? After all she's done?! She deserves to be treated like dirt after all that's happened! She can't be forgiven, Odin! She just…can't." Alena sighed sadly as her voice softened. "I wish we could forgive her, Odin; I really do. But some things…they're just too horrible to forgive. And it's not like she'll ever change, anyway, so what's even the point?"

"Well, I wouldn't write her off so easily, Alena," Odin spoke up, looking at his friend intently. "She was raised here by Rebecca and Dakota for the first twelve years of her life, after all. A person who's been immersed in teachings like that for that long can't just walk away from that kind of life as easily as you seem to think. And she's _back_ , Alena. She's not working with them anymore, because if she was, this planet would be much worse to live on."

Alena shook her head stubbornly at Odin, feeling a bit sorry for his hopelessly naïve attitude about things. Couldn't he see that Victoria hadn't even _tried_ to change her angry attitude that had no doubt been instilled into her during her time away from Kalifa, from _them_? From her? "Just because she doesn't look like she is, doesn't mean she isn't, Odin. She was with them for five _years_. And you've seen her since she's gotten back. She's…different. More angry and prone to violence, more… _dangerous_. The fact that she hasn't made a move yet probably just means that she's biding her time until our guards are completely down. Then she'll strike and wipe us all out. She can _not_ be trusted anymore. She made her choice, and now," Alena took a shaky breath, "now she has to live with it, I'm afraid. Nothing can ever be the same anymore."

As she turned to leave again, she couldn't help but hear Odin's parting words. "I hope one day you'll change your mind, Alena. Because one of the worst things you'll regret is leaving things unsaid until it's too late to say them."

* * *

 _Violet slung her arm around her younger sister and pasted on a false smile for her benefit. Rebecca had been in the city for a few days, and she was due to go back soon. Violet wanted to make the most of her visit; it had helped to have a distraction around to keep her from thinking about…other things._ Like Vizino's threat, _Violet thought bitterly. That man had no conscience whatsoever, making it seem like cheating on someone's wife was normal, even_ expected _of him as soon as he said his vows. She could hardly stand to look at him and his repulsive aura; it make her sick even thinking about him._

 _As a result of the two Humans' mutual dislike of each other, things had been…tense when Violet went to work. It always seemed like she was in a battle with him, and each time, with his horrible smile at her dilemma, she lost. She just didn't know what to do anymore._

Why didn't Mother tell me things would be like this in the world? Why did she have to coddle me so much?

 _Logically, Violet knew that her mother probably had no idea that something like this would happen, but she couldn't help it. Her mother had taught her all she knew, and not_ once _had she talked about how horrible regular, everyday people could be, and how you couldn't know it until you got trapped by them. Not really. Did she think that, somehow, Kalifa was free from all the pain the rest of the galaxy endured every day? How could she—_

" _Hey, Violet!" Violet shook those thoughts from her head and looked down at her sister, who was tugging on her sleeve. "Look at that! They're dancing!"_

 _Indeed they were; in the middle of the main square of the capital city, a large number of Humans had gathered around and were dancing a traditional Kalifan folk dance, with the women in long, drab skirts and the men in old-looking suits. Violet allowed her sister to tug her to the square to get a closer look at the people, a genuine smile on her lips at Rebecca's obvious joy at seeing the dancers. She shuddered at the thought of Rebecca's light being tarnished by the realities of life, of seeing the joy in her eyes give way to hopeless desolation._

 _She pushed those thoughts away and focused on the dancers and their complicated-looking toe-tapping, and Rebecca's poor attempts to imitate them._

 _After the dance ended, Violet placed her hand on Rebecca's shoulder and carefully guided her back to her apartment, keeping a close eye on the people who looked like they'd give them trouble. As they headed back, Rebecca sighed happily, her white aura settling around her, and said, "I wish_ _that things could always be like this, Violet, with people happy. But I know that's crazy to say because it's not always true," her aura dimmed slightly, "and there will probably always be people who want to hurt others."_

 _Violet wrinkled her brow, confused by her sister's unexpected wisdom. "Where did you get that?" When she had been Rebecca's age, their mother hadn't told her much about suffering and the horrible things in the galaxy. "Did Mom tell you that?"_

 _Rebecca nodded earnestly, oblivious to the spark of jealousy that flared in Violet. So, Mom thought that Rebecca was old enough to learn about things she hadn't deemed Violet worthy of hearing about. That was_ just _like her, to presume things without her daughters' inputs._

 _Violet was again pulled out of her thoughts by Rebecca speaking to her. "It's really interesting, what Mom's teaching me. There may be horrible people in the world others think they can't stop, but that doesn't mean that they should just give up, you know? You have to keep fighting for what's right, even if it's hard or bad things might happen to you, to help others and to keep them safe."_

 _Violet blinked as Rebecca spoke, becoming more and more sure of her decision regarding Vizino's stupid blackmail. Of course! It was so simple! She had to protect her sister from people like him, and the way for her to do that was to expose him for what he was before he had a chance to sink his claws into other innocent people like Rebecca. Yes, that was what she was going to do._

 _Violet picked up the pace to her apartment, now with a spring in her step, and she smiled broadly, failing to notice a shadow by the buildings watching her._

* * *

 _A/N: Please comment on this chapter, everyone; I'd really enjoy knowing your thoughts about this. For example: do you have any speculations on Victoria's dark past? Leave a thought in the comment box, and I hope you all have a good day! See you in two weeks!_


	9. The Strategy

_A/N: Well, here I am again, with the next chapter. I hope you'll enjoy it!_

* * *

 **Chapter 8: The Strategy**

Ezra Bridger sat at a table with Sabine and Rex, trying to appear nonchalant. Alena had commed them and told them to meet her at the cantina; apparently, she had information regarding the group the _Ghost_ crew were going to expose. She had told them to dress inconspicuously, so the three Humans were now dressed in nondescript, civilian clothing. Ezra smirked at Sabine as she shifted uncomfortably, obviously not used to wearing regular clothing rather than her Mandalorian armor.

His smirk dissipated, however, as he noticed Victoria standing in the bar area of the building, methodically cleaning a glass with a rag. Ever since they had stepped inside the cantina, she had taken every opportunity to stare at the rebels with narrowed green eyes and thinly pressed lips. Ezra thought it was proof that this girl, whoever she was, was definitely _not_ on their side. He could sense that she wasn't a trustworthy person, which made it easier to dislike her and her constant hostility.

His musings were interrupted by the sound of the cantina door sliding open, and he turned his head to see Alena stepping through the entrance. She spied them, and, with a giddy smile, beckoned them to the cantina's back room. As she passed the bar, she turned to Victoria and fixed her with a scathing glare, which the other girl was more than happy to return, Ezra imagined. As the rebels followed Alena, she set her bag down on the table and sat down. Reaching into her bag, Alena produced a holoprojector and triumphantly switched it on as the others sat.

Ezra looked closely at the map of the city and asked inquisitively, "So, I guess you found out where that gang is hiding out?"

Alena nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, an old friend was able to clue me in. As it turns out," she started, tapping the projector, highlighting various buildings and connecting them all with a red line, "there is an underground system of tunnels and caves throughout this side of the planet that can make it possible for people to meet unnoticed in the buildings and to evade escape. All they have to do is go through the system's entrances and exits."

"Wow," Rex put in with a raised eyebrow. "That's a very ingenious idea to do."

Alena nodded. "Yeah, the police don't even have it in their official records; it's been so unimportant to the government. It would be a perfect place. I actually do remember those tunnels from when I was younger; I actually went through them a time or two back then."

"So, how do we figure out where their next meeting will be?" Sabine put in as she tugged on her shirt sleeves.

"Actually, I was thinking about doing something else in order to break down this ring," Alena said with a broad smile, evidently proud of her idea. "It's clear that, though they conduct their public meetings elsewhere, their headquarters have got to be somewhere inside the underground caverns. I think it'd be a good idea to try to get to the head of this gang; maybe we could start by bugging their offices first or something. I mean, breaking up a meeting is all well and good, but it probably won't break up the head of the ring unless we go directly to them first."

Rex nodded in agreement as he stroked his white beard. "Yes, that is a good idea, Alena, thanks."

"Yeah," Ezra put in confidently, "with Sabine, Rex, and me there, those guys won't know what hit them." He grinned broadly as Alena lightly chuckled.

"Well, we should still be on guard, Ezra; we still don't know who specifically these people are. There could be trouble." Alena pointed out. "The meeting's going to be in a few hours, so that'll give us enough time to strategize and such."

"Maybe we should go to the _Ghost_ to do that," Sabine said as she looked around. "After all, you never know where bugs might be in these places."

"Yeah, you're right," Alena agreed, standing up as Ezra looked on. "Unfortunately, I'm on shift to work right now." Alena's forehead crinkled in thought as she concentrated, finally snapping her fingers triumphantly. "I've got it! Come on."

Alena led the way out the back room to the bar, where Victoria was still polishing glasses. She looked up as Alena came closer and raised her eyebrow suspiciously, flipping her dark ponytail over one shoulder. "What do you want, Alena?" She asked in a hard voice.

Alena adopted a commanding expression as she looked at the other girl. "I need you to take my shift for tonight."

At those words, Ezra watched as Victoria harshly set down a glass. He was a little surprised she didn't break it. "Oh, sure," she spat out angrily as she glared at Alena, who twirled the ends of her short, dark hair as she returned the look. "Make me do all the work _again_ because you're much too important to stoop so low these days, hmmm?"

"Knock it off, Victoria," Alena said darkly. "What I have to do is more important than some silly job."

"And yet, you obviously don't want to lose it. Why else would you go to such lengths to hide your lack of working from our employer, rather than just quit, if it's _that_ much of a burden to you and you _obviously_ have more important things." Victoria said snidely, green eyes flashing in a challenge.

"For your information, _Victoria_ , I actually like my job just fine. It's not the best, but it's also not the worse. As for what I do, I don't see how that's any of your business." Alena shot back.

"The moment you pawned _your_ work onto me is the moment it became my business, which means that I have the right to know what's so important that you think it's okay to just work me to the bone!" Victoria said angrily with a snarl as she stared at Alena.

"Well, it's certainly not like I can tell you," Alena began with the same harsh expression as Victoria, "since you're not exactly a trustworthy person now, are you? Besides, we both know you've done much, _much_ worse than work two measly shifts, remember?"

Ezra looked on with the other rebels as Victoria clenched her jaw. She looked like she wanted to hit Alena, but instead she growled, " _Fine_ , I'll do your stupid shift for you. Now get out of here, and don't let me see you around here at any time tonight!"

Alena scoffed dismissively. "Please, like you can tell me what to do." Nevertheless, she turned to the rebels and jerked her head for them to follow her, walking out of the cantina into the outside. Ezra could see the sun setting in the distance as Alena said, "Now, let's get to work."

* * *

A few hours later, Alena, Ezra, Rex and Sabine stepped into a clearing filled with nothing but broken and charred buildings. After meeting in the _Ghost_ for those few hours or so, Alena had led them to the clearing. Ezra figured the buildings must have been a town at one point, but now there was no one around. He cleared his throat; the not-town was a little eerie to him, especially when it was dark. "Can you remind me again what we're doing here, Alena?"

Alena turned to the rebels as she answered. "Well, remember when I told you guys earlier that I remembered being in the tunnels when I was younger?" At the group's nods, she continued. "This town holds one of the entrances into the caverns below; I took it to the capital city five years ago to..." she sighed sadly as she continued, "...to escape the Empire. This town, unfortunately, was one of the casualties when the Empire came. I went through the tunnels at Dakota Farthing's behest. _She_ wasn't able to escape, sadly."

* * *

 _Alena fell through the opening and hit the hard ground of the tunnel, her head pounding as she hit it. Beside her came Victoria, though she managed to stay on her feet when she fell._

 _Alena quickly jumped up, knowing there was no time to stop and check for any injuries; not when_ they _were coming. She pulled at the younger girl's sleeve, trying to keep her from desperately fixating her eyes on the tunnel's opening. She was tempted to do the same thing; she desperately wanted to know if Dakota would either follow them, or, as she had said she would do, face the Empire. Both girls' hopes of their mentor following were promptly squashed when the light streaming through the opening cut off. Obviously, Dakota had shut and hidden the entrance, so the Empire wouldn't be able to follow them._

 _Now they really did need to leave. There was always a chance the Empire would find it, however well-hidden it was. Quickly, Alena grabbed Victoria's wrist and started to pull her down the path to the capital city, where they'd be able to hide in plain sight. After all, none of the Imperials had actually seen them._

 _But even as Alena started down the passage, Victoria tried to fight, digging in her heels. "What are you doing, Alena? We can't run off like...like cowards! We have to stay! We have to fight them with Dakota!"_

 _Alena gritted her teeth in determination and harshly jerked Victoria forward, putting the younger of the two off-balance. Pressing her advantage, Alena began to run as if her life depended on it. "You heard Dakota, Victoria; we need to leave! We have to warn the Court what's going on, and what's happened to Shadow Squadron! Besides, we'll get slaughtered if we fight; you know that!"_

 _"That doesn't mean that we can just run off while hundreds of others are condemned!" Victoria shot back, attempting to jerk herself from the older girl's grasp on her wrist. "We can't run_ again _! We can't just let them get away with it! Not like..." Victoria's voice shook with pain as she continued, "...not like with Rebecca."_

 _Closing her own eyes as the fresh memory of their now-deceased mentor assaulted her, Alena paused and turned to Victoria. "I know it's hard, Victoria, but we have_ always _trusted their judgments before; why should we question what they tell us to do now?"_

 _"They may be our mentors, and they may be wiser than us, but that doesn't mean they always know_ **—** _"_

 _Victoria was promptly cut off as the tunnel shook around them. With a sinking heart, Alena knew what was happening. The Empire was destroying Dakota's village, maybe with a bombardment, from the sound of it. She knew they had to go on._

 _Hurriedly, she pulled on Victoria's arm again. "There's no time to talk; we need to go. Now!" The two girls started off running again, Victoria still going reluctantly, and Alena going as fast as she could with the younger girl to reach the capital._

 _Alena could just see the entrance to the capital up ahead, and felt elation and relief at the sight, when suddenly her arm was pulled back, forcing her to stop. Looking back to Victoria, Alena saw her breathing heavily, bent over slightly at the waist, with her free arm up against the tunnel wall._

 _"Victoria? What is it? We need to get to the capital, remember?" Alena would have said more, but Victoria raised her face to the older girl's, and Alena's blood chilled at the sheer amount of fear and panic residing in the other girl's expression. Surprisingly, though, Victoria seemed to looking straight through her._

 _Victoria shook her head, muttering quietly, "No, no, don't do it, don't do it." Alena's forehead crinkled cautiously as Victoria continued to talk, seemingly to herself. What was going on? "No, don't do it, please," Victoria's voice began to break, and her dark green eyes filled with tears and began to run down her face. "Don't do it!" Victoria suddenly flung herself at the wall, pulling herself out of Alena's grip, and began to claw at it as though that would help with whatever she was seeing. Alena watched fearfully now as Victoria continued to desperately claw at the wall, leaving various scratches as she continued to cry out and sob. Eventually, her clawing stopped, but with it came a thrown-back head and a horrible scream of agony that had Alena jerking back to the other tunnel wall. She watched Victoria break down as her scream tapered off into choked sobbing, sliding down to the ground._

 _Though she was tempted to leave her, Alena hoisted Victoria up, slinging one arm over her shoulder, and dragged the distraught girl down the tunnel leading to the capital. No matter what, they still had to deliver the message._

* * *

"I'm sorry about that," Ezra said, not knowing what else to say. "This must bring up some painful memories."

Alena smiled sadly. "It does, but it's about time I started bringing some good out of this. Like the tunnel entrance here, for example." She walked up to a building that was basically nothing but rubble, and began to shift the debris away. "Can you guys help me? The entrance is just under this building."

For a few minutes, the air was filled with the sound of debris being lifted away from where the building had been. Ezra was the most help with his Force abilities, able to lift away the heavy debris with just a wave of his hand. He couldn't help but feel pride at all he had been able to accomplish because of his Sith holocron's help.

Eventually, the debris was all cleared away, and Alena walked up to what looked like an old trapdoor. She strained to lift it, as it probably hadn't been used for a while, but she pulled the door away from the ground after a few minutes, revealing a hole in the ground. Alena threw the old door to the pile of debris, and gestured at the tunnel entrance. "Shall we get started?"

Ezra nodded eagerly as he readied to jump into the tunnel. Whatever this gang would throw at him, Ezra would do everything to ensure they didn't win. After all, with his Jedi powers, how could he lose?

* * *

 _Violet calmly walked down to the flower shop to start her evening shift, a plan already formulated in her mind. Mary tended to bring them dinner, so when she came, Violet would ask to speak with her privately, and then tell her that Vizino was cheating on her. Simple._

 _She was also glad that Rebecca had already gone home now; there could be no doubt that whatever would happen next would be ugly, and she didn't want her younger sister to be subject to that,_ ever _._

 _As she walked into the flower shop, the first thing she noticed was Vicino's absence. Ever since she'd found out about his dirty little secret, he'd taken to making sure he was aware of her every move in the store, so he'd always be watching her, a smug smile on his lips, his blood-red aura flickering with malice. It was about time she knocked that stupid smile off his lips; she hated seeing it so much._

 _But he wasn't there, and all was silent. That was her first clue something was wrong. As she drifted over to the check-out counter, she thought she saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye._

 _Suddenly, the shop sprang into action, with several people springing out from various hiding places in the shop, surrounding her. Violet's heart clenched with fear and trepidation. She definitely didn't like the looks of this. But…wait a minute…_

 _All the people surrounding her were dressed in the police attire of Masato City. But why were they looking at her like she was a criminal? All these thoughts passed through her head in a nanosecond before the officers had even drawn their blasters and pointed them at her. One officer stepped out of the crowd and produced a pair of handcuffs._

" _Violet Storm," he began, glaring at her as he forcefully shoved her against the wall before she could blink or say a word, "you are hereby under arrest for the aiding and abetting of Kalifan terrorists in this city. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be held against you. You have the right to an attorney. If you do not have an attorney, one will be provided for you…"_

 _The officer kept speaking as he cuffed Violet and pushed her through the crowd of officers to his waiting police speeder, hidden in a nearby alley. Violet was too shocked at what was happening to struggle or speak too much. Outside, a crowd of people gathered, gawking at the arrest, and Violet wished she could hide her face from their judgmental and hateful looks and words._

" _That monster deserves it."_

" _They get younger every year, don't they?"_

" _Give them what they've got coming to them, officer!"_

 _Violet was still trying to grasp the situation at hand when she was shoved into the speeder and the officer started it. She was…she was being framed! But by who? Who would want to hurt her like this?_

 _Immediately, Vizino's face filled her head, and she gritted her teeth in anger and hate. Of course he'd do this; he must have realized that his threats wouldn't work on his employee forever. So, he'd sought to get rid of her. But she never knew he'd go to such drastic measures to do it._

 _That man_ definitely _had no conscience. It made Violet sick to think that he'd get away with this, just like with his affair._

 _And what about Rebecca and their mother? What would they think when they heard about this? Would they jump in to defend her, or would they think Violet was a secret terrorist? Despite herself, Violet's eyes grew watery as she thought about the pain and disappointment she'd brought upon her family. She should have seen this coming from a mile away. But because she didn't, now she'd be paying the price for it._

 _She wished she could give Vizino what he deserved for this; hate burned brightly in her heart for him and his smugness._

 _Suddenly, Violet was rocked by an explosion that came from the police speeder's engines, and it plummeted to the ground. Violet's heart was in her throat as she waited to die, gripping the sides of the speeder tightly. With a loud crash, the speeder hit the ground, throwing both Violet and the officer driving into the air. The officer hit the side of a building with a large_ crack _, and his lifeless body fell to the ground, never to breathe again._

 _Violet, on the other hand, hit the ground hard, scraping her arms and legs in the process. However, unlike the officer, she didn't die. She immediately sat up and scanned her surroundings. It looked like she was in an abandoned part of the city; the buildings were dusty and crumbling, and there was no one around._

 _Then a flash of movement caught Violet's eye. Startled, she looked in the flash's direction, and to say she was surprised at who she saw was an understatement._

 _In front of her, Jezebel stood confidently, her pale yellow aura flickering around her excitedly, blue lekku waving in the breeze. To Violet's confusion, her friend was wearing a dark bodysuit with dark armor on her arms, chest, and shoulders, and her expression was more serious than she'd ever seen it before. She could hardly believe it._

" _Jezebel?" Violet said uncertainly as her friend strode over to her and helped her up from the ground. "What—what are you_ doing _here?"_

" _There's no time to explain," Jezebel said shortly and she pulled Violet along hurriedly, though Violet pulled away uncertainly. "Right now, we have to_ go _. The police will be here any second, and we need to get to safety. I'll tell you everything when we're safe. But for now, you must trust me." She held out her hand to Violet, inviting her to follow._

 _Violet thought there was something strange going on, but this was Jezebel, one of her closest friends. She knew she could always trust her, even if she didn't always understand her._

 _She took Jezebel's hand, and the pair ran off into the night._

* * *

 _A/N: Please read and review since they are food for a fanfiction writer's soul! See you next time!_


	10. The Saviors

**Chapter 9: The Saviors**

Rex jumped through the opening to the tunnel hesitantly, the dark, ominous environment bitterly reminding him of the tunnels on Geonosis during the Clone War and how easy it had been for the bugs to ambush them repeatedly. He supposed this wasn't too different from that experience; after all, they were going down to fight off another type of bug. This one just wore the seemingly harmless faces of Humans.

As his boots hit the hard ground below, he took a flashlight out of his pocket and flicked it on, illuminating the otherwise dark recesses of the earthy tunnel system. He shone his light down the path as he waited for the others to jump down to join him. The tunnel seemed to go on forever, but he knew that wasn't true. All things had to meet their ends eventually, after all.

Sabine jumped down into the tunnel behind Ezra, signaling that it was time to focus on the mission at hand. Alena took out her own flashlight and lit it. "All right, this should be enough light to get us to see where we're going," she said, shining it down the path like Rex had a few moments before. "Since I know these tunnels better, I'll lead, and the rest of you can follow. Let's go." Alena ended her words with a nod down the tunnel and set off, the rest following her.

Rex walked beside Alena as they continued down the passageway. He couldn't help but study her from his position. After all, she had practically been raised by Rebecca; she was bound to have picked up some of her characteristics. Unfortunately, since she was just walking while holding a flashlight, he didn't see a whole lot of Alena's characteristics. But he did notice that she walked gracefully, a little like a dancer might. And Rebecca, during those times when she wasn't running or walking quickly, had also walked the same way.

He still found it hard to believe that she was just…gone. He'd never see her again, except on his hologram. It was a disheartening thought.

Then there was Victoria, Alena's coworker, to take into consideration. He wasn't quite sure what to think of her anymore. When he had met her the other night, still reeling from news of Rebecca's death, she'd actually seemed to be understanding. Maybe she hadn't acted in the kindest way, but he had gotten the sense that she had cared about his grief. However, it seemed that now she was on some kind of fuse that got lit whenever Alena was around. He still wasn't quite sure what had happened between the two, but he knew it had to be something harsh to make them hate each other in the way they acted around one other.

After a while of walking, Rex couldn't take the silence. "So, Alena, what was Rebecca like when you knew her?"

Alena sighed as she answered. "Where do I begin? Well, I remember that she was very kind and understanding to her students. She hardly got angry with them, and did her best to help them with their abilities." Rex nodded in agreement; he remembered how caring Rebecca had been of the men under Rex's command during the War. His smile faded, though, as Alena continued. "But when she started leading the Shadow Squadron, she started acting different. I remember that she started looking sadder and really tired. I also remember she seemed stressed, I guess because maybe the Court was giving her a harder time about things. They helped fund the Squadron, after all."

"Wait, so the Court helped start the Kalifan rebel cell, then?" Ezra put in from behind Rex.

Alena nodded. "Yes, Rebecca had a friend in the Court who helped influence the majority of the members to help the Shadow Squadron, but they did it in such a way that nobody would ever find out who the benefactors were. And it's a good thing that happened, too, because the Empire was trying to sniff out Kalifan dissenters right and left. If they hadn't covered their tracks so well, we might still have the Empire here today."

"Well, good for them, then," Rex said. "Do you think that they'll help our cell out, then?"

Alena sighed sadly as she despondently shook her head. "Honestly, you guys…I have no idea what the Court will do now. They may have helped their own cell back in the day, but the Empire's occupation changed things. It helped us realize that we need to be more careful about things concerning the Imperials. And the Kalifans don't normally mix with foreigners very well. We tend to keep to ourselves. So, I don't really know."

Rex grimly nodded as the group continued walking. He knew first-hand what fear of the Empire could do to people; he'd seen it happen to Wolffe when the _Ghost_ crew first came to him on Seelos. It was a sad and wasteful fate for people to resign themselves to, whatever their reasons for doing so were. Rex hoped that the Court wouldn't decide on that.

After a few more minutes of walking, Rex saw a lighter passageway up ahead, and Alena stopped and turned to the others. "All right, guys, we should be getting close to where the gang rounds up everyone, so we need to be on our guard."

"And right now, all we're doing is trying to bug the rooms the leaders have underground." Sabine put in, holding up a small bug that could be cleverly concealed in a room, and also wouldn't be detected by bug-finders, thanks to Sabine's modifications. They just had to sneak into the rooms and place them.

The group started walking toward the tunnel that was lit up by various old lanterns, and also had a few imposing-looking people standing against the walls every ten feet or so, silently glowering at the rebels. But Alena kept up a bright smile and walked confidently, encouraging the others to follow her lead.

Eventually, the tunnel exited into a large cavern with several other people milling about aimlessly, talking quietly with one another while more guards stood around the cavern.

Ezra stepped up to Alena. "Now, tell me again, when do you think we should, you know… _bug_ the place?" He said in a cautious whisper.

Alena answered quietly, "I think we ought to do that once the meeting's up and running. We can just sneak back here and find the offices. Then we leave. It's as simple as that," she finished proudly.

Rex was about to tell her that bugging the headquarters would probably be more difficult than she thought when a piercing whistle rang out throughout the cavern, silencing the others. The man who had whistled stepped out of the crowds and called out, "All right, everybody follow me! And remember the rules: be quiet during the speeches, and please don't exit until the presentations are over and/or the police attempt to raid the building we're in! If that happens, please just go through the tunnel entrances in the building! Thank you!" With a wave of his hand, he beckoned the others to follow him.

Rex was about to go forward when Alena placed a hand in front of him, stopping him from moving forward. "Remember, we'll want to stay near the back so it'll be easier to sneak out of the building." With those words in mind, the group made sure to stay at the back of the crowd of people as they moved through the tunnels. After a few minutes, they were led up through one of the tunnel openings into a tall, dusty, obviously abandoned building. Rex noticed that the windows had been boarded up at some point as the crowd settled throughout the building and waited.

After a few moments of silence, a young man with pale blonde hair stepped up onto some type of stage in front of the crowd and began to speak. "Peace. Harmony. Love. Hope. These are the words that we have all grown up with, my friends. These are the words that we were told to always hang on to, no matter what. That is what the government told us." He paused for a few minutes as the crowd digested his first words, then continued. Rex silently wondered where he was going with all this. "But they _lied_."

Many people in the crowd gasped audibly at the man's last sentence, and Rex saw Alena narrow her eyes at the speaker as he spoke on. "I know that many of you in this crowd tonight don't like hearing these words. I know that many of you probably believe what the government says about us. But you need to know that the government is _wrong_ ," he spoke with conviction, "that they are the ones who are trying to brainwash you into becoming complacent citizens, always going along with what they say. But who here is willing to follow them into destruction right now?" He paused, apparently waiting for the audience's response. When he got none, he continued. "I doubt any of you here want that. Yet," he started as he began pacing, "that is what is beginning to happen. They are starting to set the stage for their people's destruction. And they don't care about what will happen to us because of it." He paused again as he let his words sink in, eyes roaming around the crowd. "Some of you wonder how it is I have realized this about them. Well, I'll tell you; unlike the Court, I hide no secrets," he said, spreading his arms out for effect. "It all started five years, in a town not far from the capital. A town where innocence reigned freely, without concern for what would happen next. For them, it was just another day. I doubt I need to tell you which town I'm talking about," he said as the crowd quietly murmured to one another. "But that village was razed to ground because the _Empire_ came. But the Empire wasn't there to kill the whole town; no, that was just collateral damage. Their _real_ targets were the rebels that had chosen to take refuge in that town after the Shadow Squadron was destroyed. But because they didn't find those people, they punished the innocent. Those people's blood are on the hands of those surviving rebels today!"

Alena inhaled sharply beside Rex at the speaker's vehement statement, jaw clenching tight. Rex wanted to ask her why she was so upset, but then he remembered. _Alena_ had been one of the rebels to hide in the destroyed town, and he knew that she probably didn't enjoy being called worse than dirt.

The aged clone's attention was diverted by the speaker's next words. "I know that you may think that to be an unfair accusation. _But, the Squadron was helping us; why would they ever want to hurt us?_ The answer to that is simple. They were living on a war-like mindset. And that mindset includes the expendability of civilians, whoever they are, for the good of a greater cause. I'm sorry to say this, but the rebels were using us. You didn't see them try to help us during the Imperial occupation, did you?" He paused to hear several people in the crowd say no, then continued. "And we all know who _bankrolled_ and _funded_ the Shadow Squadron in the first place, don't we?" His voice rose above the people who were crying out the answer, dripping with disdain, eyes like fire as Rex watched him. "It was the Court! The Court of so-called _Justice_! They chose to stand by while we all suffered and died for them! For _their_ sakes! Because we _trusted_ them! And because of our naïve and blind trust, we were the ones who paid the price! Not them! Do you think we ought to let them get away with it?!" He cried out as the crowd's voices rose with an emphatic no. "Well, guess what? We won't! We are in the process of toppling their corrupt power and government as I speak! We are going to fight back! We are going to save this world! And we can help get it done faster with all of you joining and helping our cause. We are your Saviors; not the Court! The Court will never change, but we can help establish a new government where we can have _peace_ , and _hope_ , and all the things we were promised! We can make it happen! They wanted a war, so now they'll get one!" He cried out as the crowd around the rebels erupted in a large applause. "We won't let them win this time! The time has come to give them what they deserve!"

Rex stood stock-still at the amount of affirmation this speaker was getting for his ideas of overthrowing the Kalifan government. This was…this was…Rex couldn't even describe what he was thinking, but he knew that he was appalled by this man and his beliefs. Talking about how the government was… _corrupt_ …didn't seem to be very reasonable to Rex. After all, he hadn't seen anything that even hinted that there was anything particularly horrible about the government like the Empire was. He hadn't seen any indications of abuse during his time on the planet, and Alena hadn't said a word about anything like that. There certainly didn't seem to be any _real_ reasons to bring violent actions to the government.

His thoughts were interrupted by Alena tugging on his arm, a sour look on her face as she looked at the jubilant crowd. "Come on, let's go, before I get sick."

Rex followed Alena as she quietly led the rebels back to the tunnel entrance. Unfortunately, they were immediately stopped by a guard stepping into their path. "The meeting isn't over yet; what do you think you're doing?" He said gruffly, an intimidating expression on his face as he crossed his arms threateningly.

"Sir, we're just—" Alena started, but Ezra suddenly stepped in front of her, his hand hovering in front of him.

"You don't need to ask us what we're doing," Ezra said as he waved his hand, obviously calling on the Force. The guard's grim expression immediately melted into a vacant, blank face as the teenaged Jedi spoke.

"I don't need to ask you what you're doing," the guard agreed monotonously.

"You are going to…show us to your leaders' headquarters, then forget that any of this happened."

"I am going to show you to my leaders' headquarters, then forget that any of this happened." The guard repeated as he promptly turned around and started down the tunnel entrance. Ezra beckoned the others to go as he followed the guard, smiling proudly at his accomplishment. Rex was about to follow when he noticed Alena's expression just a nanosecond before she switched it to neutral.

As he slipped down the hole he thought about it. Just for a second, Alena had the strangest expression cross her face. She had looked…

 _Scared._

* * *

 _"So, what you're telling me is that...you're a magician?" Violet asked incredulously as she stoked the fire in front of the two girls. They had run for what seemed like hours into the forest before they finally stopped to rest for the night._

 _Jezebel looked embarrassed as she nodded. "Yes, I am one. I'm sorry it had to come out like this, but I couldn't take any chances. I know how afraid people can be of people who are...different."_

 _Violet crinkled her brow in confusion. "But..." she paused for a moment to collect her thoughts before continuing. "Don't you know who I am?"_

 _Jezebel tilted her head curiously at the younger girl. "You're my friend, Violet. You were just framed for a crime by your employer."_

 _"I'm Violet_ Storm _, though!" Violet said, watching as comprehension dawned in her friend's eyes. "I'm the daughter of Skylar Storm!"_

 _"Oh, oh my." Jezebel said quietly, eyes widening. "That is...very interesting, Violet; I had no idea."_

 _"It's all right," Violet said, shrugging dismissively. "It's not really anything that big to me anymore. But it's just...incredible that we're both magicians, and, somehow, we both found each other. It's like fate!"_

 _"Yeah, I suppose so..." Jezebel trailed off uncertainly, clearly thinking about something else. "But what are you going to do about your frame-up?"_

 _"What can I do, Jezebel?" Violet asked as her shoulders slumped. "I can't go on the run all my life, and I can't just go home, either. The police would probably show up there at some point." She groaned loudly as she imagined the looks on Skylar and Rebecca's faces. Rebecca would be devastated, and Skylar...Violet couldn't imagine the disappointment her mother would have for her._

 _"Why don't you fight?" Violet looked up curiously at Jezebel's words. Fight? How was she supposed to do that? Seeing Violet's face, Jezebel clarified. "I mean, it's obvious Vizino has connections with organizations like the police, so we can't really trust them or the government that bankrolls them. If we want to prove you innocent, we're going to need to fight to get it."_

 _"But how are we supposed to do that?" Violet asked uncertainly._

 _"You just need to have the power to bring justice to the corrupt," Jezebel said, eyes gleaming excitedly. "You know, there are stories I've heard about something that could do that, actually. It's a magical sword with the power to vanquish your enemies."_

 _Violet leaned forward at that, intrigued by this information. A...sword? Could that really be possible? Looking at Jezebel, she read the truth in her eyes. Maybe...this could work? Anything to clear her name and keep her family from being disappointed. And...to protect her sister from those kinds of people rising again._

 _"How can we get to it?"_

 _Jezebel smiled broadly. "Did I mention that I have a ship that we can use?"_

* * *

 _A/N: Remember, reviews are food for a fanfiction writer's soul! Please leave a comment of what you thought!_


	11. The Attack

_A/N: Well, I'm back again, and I hope you all enjoy this next chapter. It's...interesting, to say the least._

* * *

 **Chapter 10: The Attack**

Kent walked through the underground corridor, feeling more and more confident by the minute. The amount of positive response generated by that night's meeting was very invigorating; he could almost taste Kalifa's leadership crumbling amidst their followers' celebrations. And if he had to use the Force a bit to influence the audience's minds to be more receptive to the speeches, it was of no negative consequence to him. Whatever it took, he _would_ see the Court on its knees. He knew the citizens would be thankful of the end of their current tyrannical leadership, and would easily overlook the means he took to do it. Most people didn't care how things were done as long as they generated the intended results.

Which reminded him…

"Zem!" He barked into his wrist comm as he neared his office. "I need you to go to my contact's cantina; you know which one. There, you should find people obviously not Kalifan; some may not even be Human. Once you get there, I want you to kill them. And don't worry about the authorities; they've been bribed in that sector, and our contact will undoubtedly come to your defense. But I want it done within the rotation."

He waited for the affirmation from one of his top followers, and let out a sigh of relief and contentment. His measures would no doubt frighten away any surviving rebels and make others think twice about joining that kind of group. He would not see his planet be corrupted by them again.

* * *

Alena stepped into the cantina the next morning and was immediately greeted by the sight of a scathing glare from Victoria. Well, she wouldn't let it bother her today. She was still basking in the feeling of accomplishment. The rebels had managed to bug the Saviors' headquarters and offices last night, and she couldn't help but feel like celebrating. For what seemed like the first time in her life, she finally felt like there was a bigger purpose to her life than the meager-seeming life she had lived until then.

Without a doubt, she knew that she wanted to work with the rebels again. The idea had first niggled in her mind when they first arrived and she realized who they were, but it had seemed like an impossible dream. After all, she wasn't the strongest person or the best fighter. For the Force's sake, she only had a basic knowledge of technology and had never flown a starship in her life. It wasn't like she needed any of that to work at a cantina that was only a block from her apartment. But now, things were different.

She felt like she'd found a part of herself that she'd been missing for a long time. And she wanted to keep feeling fulfilled in her life for as long as possible. So last night, she'd decided.

When this whole thing with the Saviors was over, she was going to join the rebels, if they'd have her. Like she said before, she didn't quite know a whole lot about important things you'd need to know during a war. But she was willing to learn.

It was that thought of finally leaving behind a bleak life that caused her to push aside the ire rising in her at Victoria's look and walk right by her without saying a word, to the younger girl's bewilderment. Alena wished that it would make Victoria go away altogether, or at least stop talking, but that was just wishful thinking. Her voice rang out behind Alena, her confusion failing to keep her mouth shut.

"And where were you last night that was _so_ important you had to pawn your work off on me, _again_?" Victoria asked angrily as Alena turned at her voice. Looking at Victoria's look of annoyance and fuming anger, Alena decided to repeat herself the same as she had the night before.

"As I told you before, _Victoria_ ," Alena started, a smug tone coloring her voice, "I don't trust you enough yet to say. And, by the way, it's not like it's any of your business to begin with."

As Alena watched, Victoria's jaw clenched, and her dark green eyes narrowed into slits. Strangely enough, though, she didn't say a word in her defense, and her eyes dropped to the ground. Usually, she always managed to turn everything into a full-blown shouting match with Alena. It was…weird that she was quiet this time.

But no matter. Alena wasn't going to question the good fortune today. Smiling, she turned around and started taking inventory with a datapad. Going through the items, she marked down which ones were dwindling more than others, writing them on a separate 'pad. As she did her work, her thoughts wandered to the one thing she had blocked out of her mind during her bout of enthusiasm that made her uncertain about her decision, however.

When she had first met the rebels, she thought that they were going to be Kalifa's heroes. Just like an adventure holobook, with the superhero saving the world from misery and pain. But she was now wondering just how much faith and trust she _should_ put in the rebels besides hero-worship. It might have been Victoria rubbing off on her, despite her dislike for the other girl, but over the past couple of days, she was beginning to realize that these rebels weren't everything she'd expected and imagined them to be.

At least, one person in particular. _Ezra Bridger_.

It wasn't that she didn't like him; on the contrary, she thought he was an okay person. There were just these… _aspects_ …of him that made her really think about what type of person he really was.

She could look over how he'd been more excited about the prospect of magicians rather than what had happened to Rebecca and her family. After all, he never knew her; she was probably just like a story from a holobook he'd read. She could understand that after reflecting on it.

But there was one thing he had done last night that made Alena feel sick to her stomach. She had tried to hide it, but when she had had the time, like now, she really had doubts about his true character and values.

He had…he had…manipulated someone's mind with the Force. Actually _manipulated_ that man's mind into never even remembering what had happened. Chills had run down her spine as Ezra had done it that night, and she was certain that her face had turned pale.

 _Force manipulation of a person._

She remembered her studies when she was younger with Dakota Farthing. Rebecca had never really had much to say about the subject, but Dakota certainly did. Alena remembered how adamant Dakota had been about using the Force on people. Animals were one thing, but people were a whole other story. Dakota had warned her about how the Force manipulation of people could open up other temptations to use the Dark Side of the Force, and how it should _never_ be an option.

To see that happen to someone, even if it was someone she didn't know, sent a shiver down Alena's spine. She felt that there was something very… _wrong_ about manipulating people's minds like that, even if Ezra apparently found it an acceptable practice.

Having finally finished her inventory count, Alena locked away those thoughts and started for the door. "I'm going grocery shopping, Victoria," she called out to the other girl. "I'll be back soon."

Victoria stepped into the back room just as Alena had one foot through the door, and raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Is that _really_ all you're doing?"

Alena felt her anger and frustration come brimming to the surface again. Why did Victoria have to pick a fight out of _everything_ , even something as mundane as grocery shopping? "Yes, it is," she spat back with venom. "And I suggest you go back to focusing on things that are your business, unlike me!"

Victoria narrowed her eyes at Alena again, but this time she didn't care. Alena fully stepped out of the doorway, and it slid shut with a soft _click_ , ignoring the fact that she had fiercely attacked the console that worked it. As she walked off, she wished the backdoor was one of those old ones that you had to manually open and close; she would have given Victoria a satisfying _slam_ instead.

That girl _really_ made her blood boil.

* * *

Ezra and Rex stepped into the cantina together and made their way over to their regular table, sitting down. Rex saw Ezra look around for Alena, but she was nowhere to be found, and the teenaged boy let out a sigh of disappointment. Apparently, she hadn't started her shift yet. Looking around, he noticed only a couple other people in the cantina.

But Rex did notice Alena's coworker, Victoria, working in the bar area of the cantina. He saw Ezra scowl at her, an expression which she noticed and returned with one of her own before going back to work.

"I hope Alena will be here soon," Ezra said scathingly as he fixed a hard glare at Victoria. "I'm not sure how much more of _her_ I'll be able to take," and he jabbed his thumb in Victoria's direction.

"You know, Ezra," Rex said as he looked at Victoria, "I honestly don't think she's so terrible."

Ezra whipped his head around to stare incredulously at Rex. "What? How can you say that? She's been nothing but hostile towards me!"

"But have you ever thought about why that might be?" Rex asked pointedly. "After all, we're new here, and she has no reason to trust strangers, especially when we won't tell her anything. Maybe you should just try to talk to her and see if you two can come to an understanding."

"No." Ezra said immediately, blue eyes narrowed. "She's not the type that can be _understood_. And she's definitely not the type to be trusted."

"Why—" Rex began again, but he was interrupted by a big, burly man coming up to their table. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Victoria pause in her work at the bar, one eyebrow raised.

"Excuse me," the man said pleasantly as he stopped at their table. But Rex, for some reason, felt a chill go down his spine. "I saw you come in, and I couldn't help but notice that you don't seem to be from around here. Is that right?"

"Err, yes," Ezra said uncertainly before Rex could stop him. "We are."

"Well, that's all I needed to know, thanks," the man said before lunging at Rex, a strong fist connecting to his face. Rex fell back onto the floor dazedly, but he scrambled to get up and use his blasters. However, the man who'd punched him wouldn't let that happen. He kicked Rex's blasters away as he held them up and quickly punched him in the stomach before he could react. Out of the corner of his eye, the aged clone saw Ezra engaging in his own fight with a willowy young man, but he wasn't doing so well. In an effort to conceal the teenaged boy's status as a Jedi, Ezra had to leave his lightsaber with the _Ghost_ and had to promise to not use his Force powers in a public environment on the planet. And, unfortunately, his hand-to-hand combat skills weren't as well-developed as his lightsaber skills.

Rex turned his attention back to his opponent and blocked his next punch, but failed to keep the man from sweeping his feet out from under him, knocking him back onto the floor. As much as Rex hated to admit it, he knew that his poor combat skills had less to do with the other man's skill and more to do with his own deteriorating age, which made his reaction time slower in a fight.

His opponent picked up a nearby chair and broke it over Rex's head, causing him to become even more weakened. As he rolled over onto his back, he could feel blood running down his head from the injury, and looked up at the other man, who was now pointing Rex's own blaster pistol at him.

The man grinned sardonically as he declared proudly, "You rebels will never take back this planet. The Saviors will see to it, old man!"

In that split second before the man fired Rex's pistol, the clone captain saw that Ezra had been knocked out by the man's partner, who was aiming his own blaster at the boy. Knowing it was the end for them both, Rex could only watch tiredly as his opponent's finger touched the trigger.

Then, in another split second, Rex saw a glass alcoholic bottle come out of nowhere and hit Ezra's opponent in the temple, causing him to suddenly drop as the bottle smashed into him. As Rex's opponent started to turn, a cold voice directly behind him rang out.

"Don't even try it, Zem."

Turning his head to the side to see behind the other man, Rex was met with an unexpected sight. Victoria Violetta, the girl who seemed to distrust the rebels the most, was brandishing Rex's other blaster pistol at the man, Zem, apparently.

Zem's eyes widened with disbelief as Rex struggled to rise to a sitting position. "Victoria? What are you doing? We're in the middle of an operation!" He said with annoyance. "You should know that! Or do _you_ want a shot at killing these scum first?"

Victoria's green eyes narrowed as a shadow passed over her face, refusing to lower the pistol. "What I want is for you to take your partner and leave!" She hissed harshly at Zem, fury crossing her face.

"You can't do that!" Zem cried out angrily as he fully turned toward her. "You're supposed to be one of us, you witch!"

"And that's supposed to make me be okay with something that _I'll_ have to clean up instead of you?" Victoria growled as she aimed the pistol. "I don't think so. Now take your pathetic-looking partner and tell your master that I'll not tolerate things he doesn't even care to let me know about beforehand!" She touched the pistol's trigger and a bolt of pure energy flew at Zem before Rex could blink. But, strangely, the man didn't drop from sudden death. Instead, the bolt crashed into the wall behind the clone captain with a _crack_. Or at least, most of it did.

Zem cried a howl of pain as he touched his left ear, the tip of which was now smoldering. He looked at Victoria with pure hatred in his expression and voice. "You'll pay for that, demon!" He cried angrily.

"No," Victoria answered coldly, "that was a warning for your master to make sure he gets my approval before entering my territory. Now get _out_ , unless you want to drop dead next time."

With one last angry look, Zem dropped his pistol, took his now-stirring partner, and the two staggered out. As they did, Ezra groaned and sat up dazedly. As for Rex, he was positively speechless as he stood up, wondering what had just happened. Why did Victoria help them?

"Here; I believe these belong to you, Rex."

The clone captain's thoughts were interrupted by Victoria offering him both pistols. As he took them from her, he studied her face. In contrast to her previous expression, her face had softened into concern at Rex's wounds. But...he'd thought she didn't like them much. So why would she save them?

 _Why?_

In that moment, Rex knew that Victoria might just be the most complicated person he had ever met.

* * *

 _Jezebel's ship jumped out of hyperspace, and Violet marveled at the space around them. She still couldn't quite get her head around the fact that she was actually in space. It was a wondrous experience, and one she wished she'd been able to have sooner. She knew that she had to keep her head on the mission at hand, though, so she reluctantly turned to Jezebel._

" _So, Jezebel, where are we, exactly?"_

 _Jezebel calmly answered as her yellow aura betrayed her emotions, flitting around her excitedly. "We're in one of the so-called uncharted areas of space, Violet. This is where you can get that sword, and the power that lies within it, to get justice on those who've wronged you."_

 _Violet hummed thoughtfully as she took in the planet Jezebel was guiding the ship to. It looked really…dark, to say the least. Violet would be surprised if even a speck of sunlight could get through the planet's never-ending mass of dark clouds. Despite her enthusiasm for the mission, an ominous chill ran down her spine._

" _And, um, where did you find out where this sword would be, Jezebel?" Violet asked cautiously. The Twi'lek took out a datapad from her bag and switched it on, handing it to Violet. The younger girl looked at the holopic that was on it, mystified. It looked like Jezebel had taken a picture of an old scroll in a language Violet couldn't read._

 _Seeing Violet's confused expression, Jezebel clarified the picture for her as the ship broke through the atmosphere of the dark planet. "You see, since I'm a magician, I wanted to know everything there was to know about our kind, so I traveled all over the galaxy, hopping from planet to planet that teemed with magic. On one of those planets, I found that scroll inside a temple. It details the sword we're after and its location, which is here, actually. The planet's name is Tempestas."_

" _Well, I can see why they gave it that name." Violet said as the ship hurtled through storm clouds, rain pelting it with a thunderous sound. "But I'm still not so sure about all this, Jezebel. I've got a funny feeling that something will go wrong."_

 _Jezebel couldn't look at Violet since she needed to keep all her attention on safely landing the ship on the planet, but the teenaged Human could sense the other girl's annoyance at her caution. "Violet, this is the only way to give justice to your enemies._ True _justice, not the corrupt type the police have where they release criminals after only a day in prison. This sword has that ability, if you allow it to help you. But if you won't use it, how else are you going to show everyone what kind of person you really are? And what kind of person people like Vizino are? Because if you don't do this, chances are you'll be on the lam for the rest of your life."_

" _Yeah…" Violet said, still a little uncertain, but feeling a bit more emboldened and confident by Jezebel's words. Jezebel was her friend; she cared about her and wanted Violet to be free just as much as she herself did. Who was she to question a friend?_

 _Jezebel finally landed the ship on Tempestas's surface and turned to face Violet, her headtails moving over her shoulder as her aura flitted around anxiously. "I can't force you to do this, Violet; it's your choice to use the sword. But don't you think it's time to give people what they truly deserve?"_

* * *

 _A/N: Leave a review to let me know what you all thought, since they're food for a fanfiction writer's soul!_


	12. Fights

_A/N: Here's the next chapter!_

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Fights**

"Ah!" Ezra hissed in pain as a wet cloth was held to the cuts on his face, glaring at the girl giving him first aid. "You know, you don't have to press it down so hard like that."

"Oh, grow up." Victoria shot back as she continued pressing down on his wounds. "It's your own fault that you got pummeled by a string bean; you really should have been paying better attention to your surroundings. Any competent soldier should at least have the basics down on that kind of thing."

Ezra grit his teeth angrily as he bit back a retort. It wouldn't be a good idea to rile up the person treating his wounds. Nevertheless, he couldn't help from getting in another few words. "He just caught me off guard, Victoria. It was so sudden."

Victoria did her skeptical eyebrow raised as she answered, pulling the cloth off his face. "And that's supposed to excuse you from your obvious weaknesses in combat?" She shook her head dismissively as she turned around to work on Rex. "Please, that is just one of the dumbest things a person can say. The only person you have to blame for this is yourself."

Ezra shot Victoria a scathing glare as she busied herself with tending to Rex's wounds, shaking the contents of a nearby bottle onto a bandage and carefully wrapping it around the clone's broken ribs, whose head had already been wrapped in bandages. He _knew_ he wasn't imagining the fact that she was much more tender and gentle with Rex than with him.

As Victoria ignored him in favor of Rex, Ezra thought back to that fight he and Rex had had with those two thugs. They had just come so…suddenly, they'd both had a hard time fighting back. If Victoria hadn't scared them away, well, who knows what might have happened. He himself had been knocked out for a few minutes, but he remembered the conversation that had gone on as he came back to consciousness. Somehow, Victoria _knew_ those thugs, or, at least, one of them, anyway. It made him more suspicious of Victoria and what kind of person she really was.

Even though she had saved them both, he still didn't trust her, and he knew he had to tell Alena about the type of people her… _friend_ was involved with.

At that moment, as though thinking of her had made her materialize, the back door slid open and Alena walked in, bags hanging from her arms. As the door slid shut, Alena paused and took in the scene before her: Rex and Ezra sporting multiple injuries, and Victoria tending to them, whose back was to Alena. As her gaze fixed on Victoria, Ezra saw her dark eyes harden with anger before she spoke tightly.

"What. Happened. Here. _Victoria?_ " Alena spat out the other girl's name harshly, and Victoria straightened up at her coworker's voice, turning around to face her, her green eyes also hardening, all traces of the softness she had displayed to Rex vanishing.

Victoria tossed her dark ponytail over her shoulder as she answered in just as hard a voice. "If you must know, _Alena_ , two thugs that were sent by the Saviors came by and decided these two needed to be taught a lesson." Ezra hoped she would finish with just that, because he didn't like the tension he sensed between those two, but, unfortunately, his wish was in vain as she finished with a snide remark. "A fact which, to be honest, is something I can't blame them for on at least _one_ of these two." And Ezra had no doubt just which one of them she was talking about, if the harsh glare in his direction was anything to go on.

"At least _one_?" Alena repeated, a shadow darkening over her face as the other girl's words sunk in. "Is that all you have to say about it?"

Victoria raised her eyebrow as a challenging look formed in her eyes. "What else is there to say? At least no one was killed?"

" _Killed_?" Alena snapped as she stepped closer to Victoria, ignoring the bags on her arms falling to the ground. "How about, oh, I don't know, _how did they even get in to do that,_ Vic _toria_?!"

"They walked through the door, same as everyone else does, A _lena_!" Victoria shot back sarcastically. "I would think you'd know the answer to a question like that!"

"I mean _why did you let this happen, Victoria?!_ This happened on _your_ shift! You're supposed to stop these things from _happening_!" Alena yelled at Victoria in such a loud voice, it made Ezra and Rex both cringe.

Victoria took a step closer to Alena, hands falling to her hips. "Oh, give me a break, Alena, it's not like they came in and started beating on them right away! Force, they were there even _before_ these two got here!" She pointed her finger at the two rebels to emphasize her point. "And, contrary to _your_ belief, I can't control what other people do or don't do."

Alena scoffed angrily. "Oh, yeah right, _Victoria_. We both know you're capable of doing _exactly_ that…and _more_." The last word ended in a harsh hiss and silence filled the room as Ezra and Rex watched the argument. They'd both seen those two fight, but this…this seemed different from the others.

Victoria's jaw clenched as she breathed heavily through her nose, her face darkening with each silent moment. "And what, pray tell, is that supposed to mean?" Ezra didn't like how quiet her words were, but it seemed Alena hadn't gotten the message about the dangerous ground she was now treading on.

"Oh, you know _exactly_ what I mean." Alena started, her lips curling back into a snarl as she spoke. "All those years of you being gone, being one of…them, you can't tell me that you didn't learn how to do those types of things during your… _training_." Ezra was sure Alena was thinking of a word much worse than _training_ when she said that. Victoria's eyes narrowed, but the older girl's next words shattered her restraint. "Tell me, how many people were tortured when you were taught by _them_? Or did any of them live at all? And how much of those people's pain stemmed from _you_? What would your _mother_ say if she were still here and knew what you've done?"

" _Stop talking_!" Victoria growled as her fists began to tremble and the lights above began erratically flickering, causing Ezra to look up curiously. "You know _nothing_ about what I went through when I was there! You've hardly even left the planet!"

"I don't have to to know what those… _things_ are like!" Alena said angrily. "I know plenty from what Rebecca and Dakota taught me about them! And I _thought_ they taught you, too, but it looks like I was wrong, or else you wouldn't have spat on their graves so eloquently when you _left_! And _became_ one of them!"

"Don't…don't you _dare_ presume what I think about them!" Victoria cried, her eyes glowing with anger as the lights continued flicking on and off. "And don't you dare think that you can flaunt your self-righteous attitude at me whenever you want! Like _you're_ so perfect, anyway, always waiting for someone else to make things better because you're too afraid to do it on your own! And yet, when that _does_ happen, you're quick to assign all the credit to yourself! So stop being such a pompous, spoiled brat! Unlike me, you have _no idea_ who I am now!"

"Well, maybe I don't know who you are now, but I know _what_ you are!" Alena shot out at Victoria. "You are a piece of _worthless, slimy filth_ , who I wish had _never_ existed and that I could _kill_! You are _nothing_ , and you'll never be anything more than that, so don't even try to deceive me with your pathetic attempts at civility, because I _know_ you can never change!"

At those words, the entire room turned black as the lights flickered brightly and exploded, showering glass over everyone. Ezra instinctively ducked, but the glass just bounced harmlessly off him onto the floor. He felt around for his flashlight and flicked it on, immediately wishing he hadn't on seeing Victoria's face.

The anger in her expression and the dark shadows over her face gave her an eerie and utterly sickening expression. It was one of the scariest things he had ever seen, but he couldn't look away. Then Victoria snarled out a message to Alena.

" _Fine_ ," she spat out darkly as she stepped up to Alena until they were practically nose-to-nose. "Think what you will about me, treat me like the awful person you believe me to be. But know this, _Alena_. Though you will forget this, do not think I will. And one day, I will be the only one who can help you with one of the most important events in your life. But I won't. You will grovel and beg at my feet, but I will refuse, harden my heart, spit in your face like you've done in mine, and there will be _nothing_ you can do about it. When that day comes, remember this day, and know that you only brought the outcome on yourself."

With those chilling words, Victoria stormed up the stairs and slammed her door with a loud _slam_. Apparently, the upstairs room had one of those old-fashioned swinging doors. At her exit, Alena absently waved her hand, fixing the light fixtures above, which allowed the three to see while remaining in a stunned silence. Ezra snuck a peek at Alena and saw her face had gone ashen, but her eyes soon narrowed again in anger. Shaking her head dismissively, she picked up the cloth Victoria had thrown down and began tending to the rebels' injuries.

"Don't worry about Victoria; she's just full of hot air. She wouldn't dare do something in retaliation."

But he still noticed the shaken tone in Alena's voice, leading Ezra to wonder. Who were the ones to truly fear and focus on? The Saviors, or Victoria?

* * *

Kent Daladob was in his underground office, typing up documents on his datapad, when the door slid open, and one of his workers rushed in. "Sir, I know you didn't want to be disturbed, but I thought I should tell you: your contact is coming, and she looks like she's on the warpath, if I may be so frank, sir."

Kent looked up in surprise at his underling's words. Victoria, angry? He wondered what could have gotten her all riled up. He suddenly remembered Zem's report, and thought he knew why. Well, no matter, he could just straighten out this misunderstanding in no time. He'd help her see she had no reason to be angry at him just because he'd tried to do something for the good of the movement.

He nodded in thanks to the worker, and stepped outside of his office just in time to see Victoria come barreling down the corridor towards him. Despite the fact that he knew she'd never hurt him, a hint of fear touched his heart. He wouldn't wish that expression to be directed at his own father, let alone himself.

As she came up to him, Kent went for a placating expression as he smiled. "Victoria, how have you been? I'm sorry you weren't able to be at our last meeting, but we're already planning out the next one, and we really hope you'd come—"

"Cut the chatter, Kent," Victoria snapped as she angrily crossed her arms and stopped in front of him. "I'm not here to have any small talk."

"Well, whatever is the matter, then?" Kent asked, though he thought he knew what she'd say. But he knew it was good to let other people voice out their issues before helping them through it. That's what his father always told him.

"Don't act like you don't know!" Victoria spat, eyes glowing with anger. "I'm here about that hit you ordered on those rebels."

Kent blinked in surprise, but not at her reason for being there. He'd just never heard the assignments he gave out worded quite like that before. "Well, what about it?"

" _What about it_?" Victoria repeated, scowl getting deeper. "Well, how about this: you never even told me that was going to happen, in _my_ cantina, of all the places to choose to try to take them out. How could you do that without letting me know first?"

"Well, er—" Kent stuttered, trying to find the right explanation, put off by his friend's anger. The truth was, he had considered letting her know, but after some thought, he had decided that she hadn't needed to know, fully believing she'd support him. "I thought you didn't like the rebels." He finally said feebly, trying to stall for time.

"I don't," Victoria said darkly. "But I don't appreciate being kept out of the loop on something like _this_. And, I also don't appreciate having to clean up messes _you_ create, which is why I intervened, as you are well aware."

Yes, Kent knew that Victoria had scared off his men during their assignment. He himself had felt righteously indignant about that. Things had been perfect to finish some of them off, but she just _had_ to step in and be their heroes. His annoyance at Victoria increased as he focused longer on that memory, and he projected it into his thoughts. "Well, can you honestly blame me, Victoria? I _had_ to take drastic measures for the rebels; you know they would have ruined everything. They still can, too, now that they've only gotten away with bruises and cuts and all! Why couldn't you have just supported me and trusted that I know what's best for this movement?"

Victoria shook her head at him as she answered. "Be _cause_ , news flash, Kent! Doing that and _only_ that is what ruined my life in the first place when I was away! And I refuse to be led down that path again, even if you think it's what's best."

"You should try trusting I know what I'm doing, Victoria!" Kent said exasperatedly. "You'll thank me later, I promise you that!"

"Really?" Victoria challenged. "You think I'm going to _thank_ you for keeping secrets from me? Kent, Kent, Kent," she said, shaking her head disappointedly. "When I first started working with you, you told me that we'd be doing this the _right_ way. But keeping secrets and attacking people like common terrorists are _not_ the way to go."

Kent shook his head; he was reluctant to admit it, but Victoria was just too stubborn to listen to him right now. "Well, I guess I can't blame you for being paranoid, considering what happened to you, Victoria. But you have to trust that everything I'm doing is going to be something you'll be grateful for one day when our planet is back in our hands."

Victoria raised an eyebrow skeptically and remained silent. Kent didn't like the way she was looking at him with suspicion. "What? What is it?"

"Well," Victoria began slowly, looking at him, "I just seem to recall those words being spoken first from a certain father of yours. You know, Scales?"

"But of course," Kent said, puzzled. "None of this would be possible without him, you know. My father is our biggest supporter."

Victoria furrowed her eyebrows at that information. "Isn't _he_ on the Court, though?"

Kent waved away that silly question dismissively. "Oh, well, of course _he's_ not like the others, he'll be exempt from their punishments when we're able to replace the current government."

"Uh-huh." Victoria said noncommittally. Kent could still sense a bit of uneasiness from her, but he figured that she'd get over it, given time.

Kent smiled at her and beckoned her into his office. "Now, come, Victoria, I think it's time we caught up with one another."

* * *

 _Violet cautiously walked through the entrance of the temple, expecting something to blow up in front of her face. When nothing happened, she breathed out a sigh of relief and beckoned Jezebel to follow her inside. The blue Twi'lek girl followed her friend, handing her a small flashlight to see in the dark. Violet smiled gratefully and, together, the two began to move deeper into the temple._

 _Violet was still cautious about the darkness she could sense in the temple, but she also believed in Jezebel and her idea. And justice…justice was something that, apparently, Kalifa was in short supply of._

 _And the chance to prove to her family—well, her mother, more than Rebecca—that she could handle herself and didn't need to be coddled anymore was just too good for her to pass up._

 _Suddenly, Violet's thoughts were interrupted when Jezebel pushed her to the ground unexpectedly, causing her to fall on the hardened floor. As she hit the ground, she heard a whoosh of wind right above her head, and cautiously looked up. Embedded in the wall beside her were several dozen darts that had seemed to come from out of nowhere. On her other side, Jezebel was also lying flat on the ground, having taken cover just after she pushed Violet._

 _The two girls cautiously got up from their positions on the ground, waiting for another trap to reveal itself. When nothing happened, Jezebel beckoned Violet to go on. With each step she took forward, further into the temple, she wondered what sort of terrible calamity could possibly befall them, careful to keep her guard up at all times. As the two journeyed further, Violet spotted several objects on the walls and sides of her: there was a hanging mirror with cracked, jagged glass, a golden sword that seemed to glow ominously amidst others, a tapestry that depicted a fight between a black dragon and a white wolf, and several broken sticks—no, they were_ wands _, not sticks. Violet had forgotten that the early magicians had once used those._

 _Despite the ominous feeling she had when she saw those objects, she couldn't help but wonder what they meant, and what their significances were. She remembered the stories her mother used to tell of magicians in the older days, but it had been several years since she'd last heard them, so details were fuzzy regarding many of them._

 _Suddenly, without any warning again, the floor suddenly opened up from under the two girls' feet, and they fell towards a pit of lava. Violet's eyes were wide open from the sudden shock, but she knew she had to prioritize her panicking feelings. Quickly, she closed her eyes tight, and reached out to the Force, drawing strength from its power. She felt magic flow through her veins, and she instantly knew what she wanted to do. It was pretty simple for her, since she had been trained to use her magic for as long as she could remember. In half a second, she and Jezebel were both hovering in the air, just above the lava pit. Violet used her magic to levitate them both out of the hole and onto safe ground._

" _Well done, Violet," Jezebel said as she attempted to appear nonchalant after her brush with death. "I knew you had it in you."_

 _Violet smiled at the praise, but she knew they both had to keep going, even if there were several unexpected traps. And yet…maybe it was her imagination, but as they continued, Violet felt as though she could hear faint whispers coming from around her, like the temple was trying to warn her away from her destination. She shook away those thoughts and went on._

 _Soon, Violet was used to dodging all the traps the temple had to warn away unexpected visitors. A room full of venomous reptiles? Violet and Jezebel simply used their magic to calm them. A wall lined with motion-sensitive flaming torches? They used ice blasts to freeze them._

 _With every obstacle, Violet felt more confident in her abilities as a magician by the time they had reached the final room. Her mother had never felt that her oldest daughter was ever quite good enough to hold her own with her magic. Well, if only she could see her now! What would she say, then?_

 _As Violet stepped into the last room, she braced herself for a trap, but to her surprise, none came this time. Nor did any come when she beckoned Jezebel in and they both entered. Violet scanned the room, still suspicious, but there didn't seem to be any traps in the room. Instead, there was one lone pedestal in the center of the room. On that pedestal, in a locked glass case, was a simple, unassuming black sword. But if it really was everything Jezebel had said it was, everything was about to change for her._

 _Violet heaved a sigh of relief as she turned to Jezebel, who smiled and nodded in preparation for her question. It was the sword they had come so far for, and defeated many traps for. Violet felt a surge of pride as she continued toward the sword, happy that everything would soon be alright. And yet…_

… _that niggling feeling at the back of her brain still gave her pause, telling her this was a very bad idea. As she stopped in front of the case, Violet wondered if she really was making the right choice. But that thought was dashed away by Jezebel's voice as she followed her friend._

" _All right, there, Violet?" The doubting thought gone, Violet turned and smiled at her friend._

" _Yes, just…relieved that it'll soon be all over for me. This framing business, Vizino, being on the run from the police. It's hard to believe that this adventure will soon be over."_

" _Oh, I wouldn't be so quick to think it'll all be as simple as that," Jezebel smiled back as she answered. "Things never quite become what we want them to be, but at least we're on the right track now."_

 _Violet nodded. "So, how do we unlock this case, then?" She asked, looking at the locked case._

 _Jezebel cleared her throat and answered. "Well, my research on this sword indicates that only the blood of a Phoenix magician can break the lock."_

" _Blood, blood," Violet mused for a moment before it clicked. "Oh, you mean my family?"_

 _Jezebel nodded. "Yes, your mother was once a Phoenix magician, and that means her descendants are able to unlock the case."_

 _At Jezebel's words, Violet turned and, after a moment of brief hesitation, touched the lock on the sword's case. The lock immediately glowed and melted away, leaving the glass case behind. She carefully opened it and looked at the sword. Finally, all would be set right again._

 _She grabbed hold of the sword's handle confidently, but as she did, the ground beneath her shook. The last trap in the temple had been activated. She would have run for cover, but she was preoccupied with the burning sensation in her hand, and she tried to let go of the sword, to no avail. She stumbled back and fell to the ground, crying out as the pain travelled throughout her entire body, and she was tortured by visions. In some of them, she saw her mother, in others, she saw a man with dark skin and hair. In one she thought she even saw some sort of gigantic moose thing before the visions came even faster in flashes of pain. A glowing object hovering above the ground. A black dragon, a white wolf, hordes of animals destroying everything in their paths, slaughtering everything and everyone. Another man, dressed in a bounty hunter's outfit, with a bald head and a horribly scarred face. The dark man and her mother fighting until, in a surge of pain, everything finally went black._

* * *

 _A/N: Please leave a comment about what you thought about this chapter!_


	13. Respect

_A/N: Hi, again! Hope you'll enjoy this next chapter! I really enjoyed writing it!_

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Respect**

The next day, the atmosphere between Victoria and Alena as they began their shifts was frigidly cold. It set Alena on edge all day. Sure, it wasn't like she wasn't used to Victoria being cold; _she'd_ been cold to the younger girl plenty of times during the last few months. But this time…this time was somehow different than the others.

Before, Victoria had been angry and cold, but there had never really seemed to be a real purpose or reason to be for her; it had just been part of who she was. Now, though, Victoria seemed to have some sort of plan in mind, always looking at Alena with a savagely calculating look. It sent a terrible chill down the older girl's spine, and it always made her think of Victoria's words last night, her so-called prophecy.

But the fact that Alena could sense the malevolent intent emanating from the other girl didn't help anything, since, as Odin had pointed out the other day, she hadn't _done_ anything yet. No, for the rest of the day, Victoria would do her job, serving the patrons and customers, and not say one word to Alena. For _anything_ , really. It was pretty disconcerting, if Alena was honest. She didn't like it. It had set her on edge for the whole rest of the day, making her jump at every little noise. She knew that Victoria was mostly all talk and no action; that was how it had been since she had returned to Kalifa.

But she still couldn't help but feel scared stiff by her. But she couldn't focus on that right then. She could sense something more important was going to happen soon.

It had started in the middle of her morning shift, when her comlink had beeped, indicating someone had left a message on there. Alena knew she wasn't supposed to answer it during work hours, but what if it was something important, like from the rebels?

So, despite Victoria's vicious glare, she picked up her comm and flicked it on, tapping on the new message. Upon seeing it, she quickly looked up at Victoria, about to ask her to take her shift again, but she fell mute at the expression on Victoria's face. It probably wasn't a good idea to ask her that so soon after their fight. She'd just have to stick it out until her shift ended. She quickly tapped out a message to the rebels telling them that before she turned off her comm again and went back to work, restless for the rest of the time. Part of it was Victoria, and the other part of it was the message.

 _Bug picked up something at Saviors' HQ. Think you should hear it. Urgent._

At the end of her shift, Alena let out a sigh of relief, silently congratulating herself on having survived the suspense of it. Quickly leaving the cantina, she walked south for a while until she reached the rebels' ship, walking up the ramp of the _Ghost_ ship and stepping into the loading bay. Even though she had been in it just a couple days beforehand, she couldn't help but marvel at the ship again. She hadn't been off-planet for five years, and, as a result, was in awe of any new ship, really. To her, it was like an adventure.

"Alena! There you are! Glad you could make it," Rex said with a smile when she entered.

Alena smiled back as she answered. "Thanks, I would have come sooner, but I couldn't get Vic—anyone to take over for my shift. Sorry."

At her words, Rex sobered up, obviously knowing whose name she had been about to say. Alena was instantly filled with guilt from last night. She hadn't meant for things to get so out of hand in front of him and Ezra, but she couldn't help herself. She'd just…snapped when she saw those two injured and _Victoria_ , of all people, helping with their injuries. And then all her anger and pain had just come pouring out.

But it wasn't like Victoria didn't deserve to be yelled, because she definitely _did_. After all she'd done when she was away, how could she think Alena would ever forgive her?

"So, how're your ribs and your head?" Alena asked, changing the subject abruptly as she remembered the captain's injuries. "Are they healing good?"

Rex nodded and smiled. "Yeah, they're doing pretty well now, actually. It would usually take a couple of days or so to heal, but whatever your…co-worker put on the bandages is working really well." Alena's eyes dropped to the bandages, and she pressed her lips into a thin line, but chose not to say anything about Victoria. When this whole thing was over, she'd join the rebels and get to stop breathing the same air as the younger girl. Then she wouldn't have to think of her ever again.

She still couldn't decide if that would hurt or not.

"So, what did you guys want to see me for?" Alena asked quizzically. "The message on my comm seemed pretty urgent, but I had to wait until my shift was over."

Rex shifted uncertainly, hesitating for a few moments. "Well, it was about those bugs we set up in the Saviors' headquarters. Apparently, it picked something up last night, and Sabine thought you should hear what it has to say."

Alena nodded, silently smiling at being included in the rebels' group. "Well, okay, then; let's hear it."

Rex nodded in agreement and led her to the cockpit of the _Ghost_ , where the other members of the _Ghost_ crew were, and beckoned her to sit down. As Alena did, Sabine pressed a few buttons on the console, then handed her a headset to slip over her head. After Alena did that, she waited for a few moments for the audio receivers to kick in, eager to hear what type of evidence they had on the Saviors.

She heard the muffled sounds of footsteps sounding on the dirt floor, and then a male voice spoke up. _"Ok, what do you have on them that we can use?"_

A female voice answered back, and Alena's breath caught at it. She _knew_ that voice. _"Well, I've never really gotten too close to them, but I think they now know about the Saviors, courtesy of your assassin attempt,"_ her voice had taken an annoyed tone near the end. _"Zem actually_ telling _them who he was working for may not have been the best thing to do, Kent."_

The male voice, Kent, apparently, spoke again, taking a reassuring tone. _"Well, perhaps, if we wanted to keep our element of surprise until the very end, but it's important to show our enemies that we mean business. Perhaps we could have scared them away for good,_ if _my workers hadn't been interrupted, Victoria, like I told you."_

Alena sat very still when she heard Victoria's name. She knew her voice, but the name just cemented the suspicion. How had she not suspected that _Victoria_ was with the Saviors? Alena _knew_ she couldn't be trusted. She clenched her hand into an angry fist and clenched her jaw as Victoria spoke in her headset.

" _And, like_ I _said, Kent, I don't like having to clean up your messes."_ Alena could _hear_ Victoria roll her eyes. _"Besides, Kent, when you want your enemies to stay away from you, you shouldn't try to rule over them by fear. It may work for a while, but eventually, they will return, more prepared than before. You work with stealth and deceit, always hiding your hand from the enemies, never really showing it until it's too late to do anything."_

" _Well, if we did do that, Victoria, we probably wouldn't have followers to begin with."_ Kent said, taking a patronizing tone. _"And we need them to make my plan for Kalifa work. We need the support of the people."_

" _And that is why you should very careful who you choose to tell what, and why."_ Victoria answered back, a challenging tone in her voice. _"Learn to control everything everyone you tell does; that's what I learned."_

" _Anyway, moving on now…"_ Kent said, apparently eager to change the subject, _"back to the rebels. What else do you know?"_

" _Their ship is a large freighter-type, just outside the village I live in,"_ Victoria began. _"I went there and checked it out. You can't miss it. They also have a droid that's kind of crazy, but nothing an electroprod won't shut down if it gets tough."_

" _Anything else?"_

" _Yes, I managed to hack into the files of the Kalifan Court,"_ Victoria continued, _"and I found out that, apparently, these rebels had had an appointment with the Court. They're trying to sway the Court over to their side."_

Kent growled for a moment angrily before speaking again. _"I should have known they'd seek to join with our enemy. This changes things, now. We can't wait for them to leave anymore, we have to_ act _before they sway the Court to their side, and, by extension, the rest of the planet."_

" _And here I thought that you were confident your following would replace the Court at some point,"_ Victoria said noncommittally.

" _At first, yes. But convincing the majority of the population here takes time, you know. And most of the Kalifans here, sadly, have yet to realize how many lies have been told by the rebels fighting against the Empire."_

" _Uh-huh."_ Victoria said neutrally. Alena could practically hear her eyeroll. _"Well, have fun with that, Kent. I have to get back to my room at the cantina."_ Victoria's footsteps sounded across the floor and faded away.

Alena ripped off the headset, deciding that she had heard enough. Victoria was with the Saviors, and that was all she needed to know. She noticed the rebels looking at her with concern, and she raised her eyebrows. "What?"

"Well, we just weren't sure how you'd take this information, given your history with Victoria." Ezra said cautiously, probably waiting for another blowout like yesterday's.

Alena exhaled heavily and reminded herself to control her temper this time around. "Well, I should have expected this, to be honest. Don't know why I didn't in the first place. But that doesn't matter. What _does_ matter is that now I know exactly whose side Victoria is on now. She's the enemy, but we have an advantage over her. _She_ doesn't know that we know she's one of the Saviors."

* * *

Alena stepped into the back entrance of the cantina, followed by Rex, Ezra, and Sabine. Rex noticed that Alena quickly surveyed the room; there was no sign of Victoria, but there was noise coming from the main room. Apparently, Victoria was in the middle of a night shift. Hopefully, she wouldn't be finished for a while. Alena flipped her short dark hair back and turned to them.

"Come on, Victoria's room is just upstairs." Alena told them, starting up the nearby wooden staircase. When they reached the top, Alena took out a ring of keys and inserted the oldest one into the old-fashioned door. It was from before people began to rely on technology so extensively, and was made of wood, sporting a metal doorknob. After she unlocked the door, she carefully turned the knob, and the door swept open quietly.

Inside, Victoria's room was…well, it was actually kind of sad. Though it was quite spacious, as it took up the entire second floor of the cantina, Rex saw very few things that showed somebody lived there. He would have expected a regular teenaged girl to have things like posters on the walls, or maybe an unmade bed, or some sort of mess, but he really didn't see much in plain sight. The area was neat and tidy and, if Rex didn't know any better, he would have thought that Victoria was getting ready for a military inspection. The small bed was perfectly made; the room seemed to be completely dust-free, and, other than a pair of black boots by the bed, there was really nothing else suggesting somebody lived in that room. Even _his_ room had at least a poster in it. But Victoria's room just looked…very sad and lonely to Rex.

The minimal possessions didn't seem to deter Alena, though, as she spoke to the rebels. "Okay, now we should start looking around, see if Victoria's got anything on what the Saviors are planning." She started for the desk pushed up by the window, and the other three followed her lead. Ezra started looking under the bed and the mattress, Sabine started looking in the cupboards, and Rex started for the closet.

Opening the door, the clone was treated to the sight of clothes hanging in front of him: mainly pants and shirts in neutral or darker colors, with a black cloak hanging on the end of the row. He sifted through the clothing, but there didn't seem to be anything hiding behind them. He dropped down to the floor on his knees, but it was completely bare; not even a pair of shoes could be found on the spotless floor. He rose back up to the clothes, and reached for the shelf above them, feeling around for anything. After a few seconds, his fingers touched something hard and rectangular. Grabbing it, he brought it down so he could see it, revealing a somewhat battered datapad.

He blew off the dust covering it as he called out to the others. "Hey, I think I've found something. It's a datapad." The others stopped their searching and came over to him. Alena practically vibrated with excitement as she reached him, having failed to open any of the desk drawers, which required Victoria's fingerprint to open. She eagerly reached for the 'pad and took it from Rex.

"That's great, Rex! Hopefully, we'll be able to find out Victoria's secrets now." As she was about to switch it on, a different voice rang out, one that caused the color to drain from Alena's face.

"Well, Alena, I guess nobody ever told you about a citizen's right to _private_ property." The rebels turned to the door, and Rex could have hit himself. In their haste, they'd forgotten to watch the door in case Victoria came upstairs to her room. And it was in that doorway that Victoria now stood, anger coloring her features, her dark green eyes narrowing to slits, and her voice took a tightly controlled tone as she flipped her dark ponytail over her shoulder. "I have to say, I'm disappointed in your… _friends_." She continued as she glared at the rebels. "I mean, I expected it from you, and from Ezra? _Definitely_. But the others?" Her gaze softened into harsh sadness for a moment. "Well, let's just say that I guess the Saviors are right about rebels after all."

Alena glared back at Victoria, and was about to speak back, but Ezra interrupted her, his blue glare directed at the other girl. "You're one to talk, Victoria. We know that you're one of the Saviors, and that you helped orchestrate the attack on us yesterday, too. And whatever it is you're planning, we'll stop you."

Rex expected Victoria to get mad at Ezra, but she merely shook her head dismissively at him and chuckled lightly. "Oh, well, I guess that puts us both on even ground, then, Ezra Bridger. Because I, too, know _your_ little secret that you've been keeping from the others. I can smell it off you, and I doubt that your friends would appreciate knowing what you've been doing, isn't that right?"

Rex didn't know what Victoria was talking about, but Ezra stiffened and narrowed his eyes further at Victoria. "You don't know what you're talking about! You barely know me, and, besides, you really think that I would listen to someone like _you_?"

Victoria raised an eyebrow at the young Jedi as she answered, a sly smile on her lips. "I know a lot more than you care to give me credit for, Bridger. I've lived a life similar to what I can sense about yours." Her smile tightened and disappeared as she continued. "It didn't end well."

"Oh, please!" Alena cried out angrily, stepping forward. "Don't even _try_ to think that you can talk like that to them! You're the enemy!"

Victoria's gaze narrowed once more as she looked at Alena. "As I recall, ever since I returned to Kalifa, I have _always_ been the enemy to you."

"Yeah, well, now it's official." Alena shot back angrily as she triumphantly lifted up Victoria's datapad. "We've uncovered all your secrets."

Victoria's eyes widened and grew angry as she saw what Alena had. Furiously, she strode over to the older girl. "You've uncovered _nothing_!" She hissed as she reached Alena. "This _thing_ , as you said, has nothing to do with who I am now!" She yanked the datapad from Alena's grasp as Alena stood there, shocked at Victoria's directness. " _This_ is Dakota's 'pad, Alena, not mine!" She said as she pointed at it. "I pulled it from the debris of what was left of her village when the Empire was through with it, which I'm betting is one time _more_ than you've been there!"

Alena unfroze and snarled back with venom, "Of course I've been there, _Victoria_! I was there just a few days ago!"

"Because of _them_ , I'm guessing?" Victoria said as she pointed at Sabine, Ezra, and Rex. "The only reason you went there was because you needed something from there. But when it comes to respecting the dead, well, you just _love_ to run the other way, don't you?"

"Respect? _Respect?_ " Alena repeated, a snarl forming on her face. "As if you've done _anything_ to respect them since they've died! First, you leave us and join _them_ , and then you try to deceive us by coming back and acting like nothing happened, and _now_ you've joined the Saviors! And you still have the _gall_ to talk about respect?!"

"At least the Saviors respect me, despite what I've done!" Victoria yelled back at Alena, leaning forward until their noses were almost touching. "And don't you _dare_ think that you're blameless in any of this! When Dakota and Rebecca died, you were a _coward_! You ran and denied that you even _knew_ them! At least I decided to do something about it by trying to make the man who did it pay!"

"And yet, you are still worse than anything the Empire can throw at us, remember?" Alena growled. "Don't think I'll ever forgive you for that."

"Then I don't think I'll forgive you for _this_ , either, Alena." Victoria said lowly, eyes still narrowed. "Don't forget; your day of comeuppance will come, and when that comes, you'll finally have to be truthful with yourself." Stepping away from Alena and the rebels, Victoria walked to her door and stood by it. "Now _leave_ , before I decide to rip your throats out for this invasion." She hissed threateningly as the group went to leave. As Alena left, Rex heard Victoria growl out to her, "You talk to me about respect, Alena? Try looking in the mirror sometime."

* * *

 _Violet's eyes snapped open, and she quickly sat up from her prone position on the ground. She didn't know how long she'd been out, but she_ did _know that something was different now. She…felt different. It was a strange, empowering feeling deep inside her. On one level, she thought she liked it, but on another level, she also thought that she loathed the feeling somehow. She'd have to ask Jezebel about what had just happened. The last thing she remembered was seeing all those horrible images, and then…she must have blacked out. Violet stood up and looked behind her for her Twi'lek friend, but the room was empty._

 _There was absolutely no trace of Jezebel._

" _J-Jezebel?" Violet asked timidly. "Where are you? Where did you go?"_

 _There was no answer; Violet's words just echoed aimlessly around the large room. She was beginning to feel…afraid. What had happened to her friend? "Jezebel!" She started running back through the passages of the temple to where she'd come from. This time, the traps didn't activate when she came back through, and she checked every room, though it was a futile attempt. Jezebel had just…vanished._

 _And Violet Storm was alone._

" _Oh, but you're not alone, dear."_

 _At the sound of the unfamiliar voice, Violet whipped behind her and, before she could stop herself, threw fireballs in the voice's direction. The fire burst harmlessly against the rock walls, dissipating in seconds. And there was nobody there._

 _Violet grew angry at that. Just who did this person think he was, trying to mess with her head? Well, he wouldn't get far. She'd make him_ pay _. She'd hunt him down, find him, and rip his—_

" _Don't even try it, Violet; it's futile to kill me at this point." Violet spun in the voice's direction, a ball of fire forming at her fingertips as she prepared to incinerate the man before her. He was dark-skinned with black hair and blue eyes. He also wore a dark cloak that covered his entire body, and he looked to be somewhere in his twenties, a friendly smile on his face._

 _She didn't care about the smile. If anything, it made her angrier. How_ dare _he try to smile when she was about to kill him! Well, she teach him a lesson he'd never forget!_

 _She lunged at the man, intending to rip his head off, but he suddenly wasn't there, and she crashed into the wall._

" _Oh, you shouldn't have done that," the man offered as Violet turned around to see him behind her. "That kind of thing doesn't work on me, you know."_

 _She lunged at him again, going for the legs this time, but, again, he disappeared, and she crashed into the wall again. She spun around to face him again, and her nails extended into claws as her anger grew. She'd show him!_

" _Now, wait one second, Violet," the man said as he extended his arms. "I really mean you no harm. I'm just trying to help you. If you'll listen to me, that is?"_

 _Listen? To_ him _? She could barely stomach the thought, and her face grew into a snarl as she prepared to attack again. Then she stopped. It was clear that she couldn't defeat this guy, whoever he was, directly in combat. He must have known how to disappear and reappear at will, so she couldn't catch him. But that didn't mean she should stop_ trying _to kill him. Just that she should take a different approach to it. Alright, she'd listen to him, and gain his trust. And then, when he was completely vulnerable, she'd strike and wipe him out. She just had to bide her time._

 _She changed her stance to appear more relaxed, but inside was complete rage and turmoil. The man smiled reassuringly at Violet as he came closer and spoke. "Thank you, Violet. Now, let me start by introducing myself. My name is Spero." He looked as if he was expecting her to recognize it, but he was going to be disappointed. After a moment of silence, he continued again. "Well, this is awkward, isn't it? I had hoped that your mother would have told you about me; I used to know her back in the day, but I suppose that I shouldn't be surprised. Skylar always was a bit more cautious about things, and I doubt she thought that you were ready to hear about all her adventures."_

 _Violet grit her teeth angrily as Spero spoke of her mother. She was plenty mature to handle things! She was fifteen, for Force's sake! That's the adult age on Kalifa! Who did she think she was to tell her nothing important? Why couldn't Skylar just trust her? "Why are you here?" Violet growled at Spero, her blood boiling in her veins._

" _Well, technically, I'm not here," Spero began cryptically as he spread his arms out. "I am the spirit of the man that was trapped in that sword you're holding." For the first time since she'd woken up, Violet realized that she was still holding the black sword with an iron grip. She tried to will her hand to let it go, but, if anything, her hand actually_ tightened _on the hilt. That was…perplexing. And maybe a little bit worrisome, too. Violet, so focused on the sword, forgot to be angry at the spirit before her as he continued speaking. "Furthermore, since you are the one that holds my sword, you are not only the only person that can see me, but you are the only person who I can give my power to through the sword."_

" _Through the…sword?" Violet asked curiously. "What do you mean?"_

" _Well, certainly you remember the visions you had when you touched my sword. They were all about my life before my spirit was imprisoned in the sword by…a great enemy." Now that Violet thought about it, Spero_ did _look like the man she had seen in her vision. "When that happened, my power was transferred into the sword along with me, and I have been fated to give my power to the next person who holds the sword. That person is you, Violet. Surely you've noticed the changes in your powers when you tried to use them on me a few minutes ago?"_

 _As soon as Spero said that, Violet thought back to her fireblasts and her clawed hand. She was normally more partial to water and ice magic, and she'd_ never _used her magic to create claws from her nails. And, for the first time, Violet also remembered her new explosive temper. Did that also come from him? If so, then what exactly did that mean about him? "So, the fire and claws were from your powers, then?" At Spero's nod, Violet continued. "And my temper is from you, too?"_

 _At the last sentence, Spero quickly shook his head. "No, Violet, the temper did not come from me. It was simply your mind's unconscious way of dealing with your new abilities, but fear not! With proper training, you'll be able to control your mind and powers, and then you can take justice for the crimes that have been committed against you. All you have to do is trust me." He held his hand out encouragingly for Violet, who looked at it uncertainly._

 _Something didn't feel quite right with this man, spirit or not. But her mind felt…cloudy, or maybe a little fuzzy, and she had a hard time really thinking straight right then. She said the first thing that popped out of her mouth in response. "So, this sword really will help me get justice for what happened on Kalifa?"_

" _But of course, young one." Spero said with his friendly smile. "I myself used that very sword to take justice for what had been done to_ me _, after all."_

" _And it worked, then? You really_ were _able to get justice for yourself?" Violet asked eagerly. Maybe everything really_ would _turn out to be fine, in the end._

 _At Violet's question, Spero's face darkened, and a hard glint came into his blue eyes. "All but one, I'm afraid. The person who trapped me in the sword." But the shadows quickly lifted from his face, and he adopted his usual friendly expression. "But that doesn't mean that'll happen to you, especially with me for your guide."_

 _Violet smiled for the first time since she touched Spero's sword, and confidently said, pushing away her uncertainty, "Well, okay, then, where do we start?"_

" _First, I think we should start with trying to get to your home planet, Violet." Spero began as he tapped his chin thoughtfully._

 _Violet nodded in agreement. "Okay, well, I have a ship I came in with a friend…"_

" _Oh, don't worry about the ship or the friend just yet, Violet," Spero said dismissively. Violet felt her temper start to rile her up again, but she clenched her jaw and pushed those feelings down. "This can be your first lesson in transportation magic."_

" _Transportation magic?" Violet asked quizzically. "I can already do that, actually."_

" _You can do_ short-range _transportation, Violet, not_ long-range _." Spero specified with a wave of his hand. "I can teach you how to use your magic to transport yourself from planet to planet, in fact, which should be easy for you, since you have_ my _abilities now."_

 _Violet blinked at that. The ability to go from planet to planet without the need for a ship or hyperspace? Why hadn't her mother thought to teach her that? Once again, Violet's anger started to rise up as she focused on how much her mother had coddled her. It seemed that she would need to have a chat with Skylar when she got back home._

" _Okay, what do I do, then?" Violet asked Spero._

 _He smiled as he answered. "It's simple, really. All you need to do is focus on drawing my power from the sword in your hand, and imagine yourself on Kalifa."_

 _Violet nodded as she closed her eyes and focused her mind on the sword in her hand. She imagined the power in it going from the blade to her, and felt the exhilarating energy course through her blood as she did so. She felt like she could do_ anything _,_ change _anything she wanted,_ do _anything she could. She then imagined herself in Kalifa's forests and felt a rush of air blow around her. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in the familiar wooded areas of her homeplanet. She smiled broadly at her accomplishment and turned to Spero while, at the same time, she found she could finally control her grip on the sword._

" _What's next?"_

* * *

 _A/N: Well, if you liked this chapter, I hope you'll leave a comment or something below! See you next time!_


	14. Justice

_A/N: Here's the next chapter, and I warn you, it's a doozy!_

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Justice**

"Okay, Ezra, first you need to focus on the water in the cup. Concentrate. Can you feel it?" Alena asked the teenaged boy sitting at a table in the _Ghost_. It was the next night, and Alena had finally found the time to try to train Ezra to use magic. She was still a little nervous about _why_ he seemed to need to use it so badly, but she had a newfound respect for him after how he'd stood up to Victoria last night. No matter what his motives and somewhat questionable actions might be, he was certainly more trustworthy than Vic _toria_.

Besides, it was nice to know that someone felt the same way about Victoria as she did.

Ezra closed his eyes and concentrated hard, his brow furrowing as he tried to focus on the water in front of him. "Yes, I think I can."

Alena pressed her lips into a thin line. _Thinking_ wasn't quite the same thing as _knowing_. As a magician, one had to know many things, rather than _thinking_ they did. "I need you to be sure about it, Ezra. I need you to _know_ you can connect to the water. Otherwise, what comes next is futile."

"That's what I meant, Alena," Ezra said a little testily. "People say they think things instead of knowing them all the time; they're interchangeable terms."

"Not when it comes to magic, Ezra," Alena said, wishing she didn't have to push Ezra into losing his temper a little, but she knew that he needed to know. "Either you think something, or you know something, but you can't have both at the same time. So I'll ask again, do you _know_ that you can feel the water?"

Ezra sighed a little before answering; it was clear that whatever he'd been expecting about magic, Alena's lessons weren't exactly it. "Yes, I _know_ that I can feel the water now."

Alena noticed how he said it a little too quickly, as though he wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. Well, even if he was lying, he'd figure out his mistake pretty quickly into the lesson. Alena continued, "Well, alright, then. Now, see if you can get the water to move _out_ of the cup. It doesn't matter how much gets out; what matters is whether or not you can do it. So just concentrate on that. And don't use the Force like you normally would; this is different from what you're used to."

Ezra nodded, eyes still closed, as he leaned forward a little to get closer to the water in the cup. Alena patiently waited, keeping her eyes on the still water. A minute passed, then two. Ezra's brow furrowed more, an indication of his increasing frustration, and the water stayed still as can be. After ten minutes had passed, Ezra finally groaned in defeat and opened his eyes.

"I don't understand why I can't do this, Alena; I'm a Jedi, after all!" He said indignantly as he directed his blue gaze at the cup in a glare.

Alena was afraid that this would happen, to be honest. She knew of people who had tried to harness magic but had never been able to so much as extinguish a candle's flame. It appeared that Ezra might be one of those people. "Well, Ezra, being a Jedi doesn't automatically mean you can do magic. It takes a lot of time and concentration to harness those abilities if they aren't natural to you. And sometimes…sometimes people, no matter how hard they try, will never be able to use magic, even if they want to."

Ezra's glare swung over to her, and Alena couldn't help but shrink back a little at the anger in his eyes. In that moment, he reminded her a bit of Victoria. "So you're saying that I'll never be able to use magic if I can't get it now?" He said, frustration clear in his voice. "Or maybe it's not me; it's just because you're not the best one to help me, is that it?"

Alena narrowed her eyes a little as she answered. "Despite the fact that I'm not the most powerful magician out there, it doesn't mean that I don't know how to teach someone to use magic. I'm teaching the exact same things to you that Dakota and Rebecca taught me, so don't blame me for your difficulties."

Ezra closed his eyes and sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that. It's just...I was hoping to get it right away."

"Well, I doubt that even _you_ were the best at being a Jedi at first, Ezra." Alena said with a small smile. "These things just tend to take time." Hopefully, Ezra would have the patience to pull through if he could wield magic. If not, then he'd just have to accept it.

She looked at her wristchrono and widened her eyes at the time. She should be getting back to her apartment; it was getting pretty late, and she would need her rest for work the next day. She'd be working _two_ back-to-back shifts, one of which was with Victoria. The thought of working with _her_ , especially knowing that she'd become a Savior, of all things, made her grit her teeth angrily. She pushed down the anger and said to Ezra, "Well, I'd better get going, Ezra; I have quite a work day tomorrow and I need my rest."

She made for the open hangar door as Ezra followed her to the exit. "Alright, Alena; we'll just be here the next time you get here, then. I think we've moved the ship well enough that the Saviors will have a hard time finding it now." Indeed, after hearing one of Sabine's bugs say the Saviors knew where their ship was, the rebels had decided it would have been better to hide it in the woods next to the town they had originally landed in. It certainly hid the _Ghost_ a lot better.

Alena was about to turn to smile at Ezra, enjoying the optimistic side of his personality, when she sensed something coming in her direction. She may not have kept up with her magical studies after Dakota and Rebecca had died, but she still retained some of the reflexes she'd learned for self-defense. Alena quickly moved to one side, dodging whatever projectile was coming her way. She heard the way the object moved through the air as it passed her, then an abrupt stop that made her blood chill. No projectile stopped that quickly when it was going that fast, unless…

Alena turned back to Ezra and found him rubbing at his neck, plucking a small dart from his skin. His eyes stared at it for a moment, then he looked to Alena. "What is this, Alena? Do you know?"

"Let me see that," Alena said as she took the dart from Ezra's fingers. She looked at it carefully, then looked into the woods around them. There was nobody there now, but _somebody_ had been there to shoot the dart at them. And the only people she could think of that would want the rebels out of the way were the Saviors.

But the real question was what did they use on the dart?

As if in answer to Alena's mental question, Ezra's knees buckled as Alena looked over in concern. He would have fallen over if Alena hadn't caught him. She was alarmed at how pale and sweaty the young Jedi had gotten in just a few seconds. "Are you alright, Ezra?"

"I…I'm…not…sure," Ezra said slowly, stopping as if to catch his breath with each word. "I just…felt really…tired…all of…a sudden."

Alena chewed her lower lip in fear and concern. There was only one type of poison she knew of that was native to Kalifa and displayed Ezra's symptoms. Pale skin, sudden sweatiness, tiredness…the only symptom that was missing was…

"Alena…" Ezra gasped out.

"Yeah?"

"I can't breathe."

…the struggle to breathe. It was nightlocke poison.

* * *

"What happened?" Rex's attention was drawn by Hera's sudden cry of disbelief and concern. "You were only outside for a few minutes!" As the clone looked into the hangar bay, he saw Alena and Ezra stagger inside, the latter nearly falling to the floor. Rex looked in concern as he made his way down to the hangar, with Hera following close behind.

"To summarize, it looks like Ezra was hit by dart filled with nightlocke poison," Alena quickly explained as Hera took the boy from her. "I think the Saviors hit him with it, and you need to hook him up to an oxygen mask right _now_."

Hera nodded as she took Ezra down to the medbay, with the others following, which now included Zeb and Sabine. Ezra wheezed uncomfortably as he was put on the medbay cot, followed by an oxygen mask slipped on his face. Rex looked at Alena as they hooked up his vitals.

Raising her hand, Alena closed her eyes for a moment until her hand began to glow yellow, then she swept it carefully above Ezra from head to toe. Her eyes changed from brown to yellow for a split second, and she sighed dejectedly. "It's just as I thought; my diagnosis tells me it's nightlocke poison."

"Nightlocke poison?" Sabine asked curiously. "I've never heard of it, even during my years at the Imperial Academy on Mandalore."

"That's because it's among the rarest poisons in the galaxy; so rare, in fact, that most people have forgotten about it." Alena answered gravely. "But it grows in a few places here on Kalifa, so we _have_ to know what it is in order to keep away from it. But every once in a while…someone's unlucky enough to _not_ know about nightlocke, and eats its berries. Then…the trouble begins."

"What do you mean?" Hera asked as she turned to Alena, her headtails going rigid. "What about an antidote? Kalifa _must_ have that if it knows about this poison."

Alena shook her head sadly as she turned to Ezra lying on the cot. "We can't make an antidote; the poison's chemical makeup is too complicated for even our best scientists. All we could do for the people is educate them about it so they won't end up like Ezra."

"What about your magic?" Rex asked desperately. He'd watched too many people he cared about die; he wasn't going to let Ezra be the next one. "I've seen it heal before; why can't you do the same for him?"

"I…I can't." Alena said defeatedly. "I told you, I was never that strong of a magician to begin with, and since I've abandoned my studies for the last five years, my abilities have diminished even more from disuse. I can't help him."

"What about other magicians? You can't be the only one on Kalifa!" Rex said, grasping at straws now. His blood started to run cold as he saw Ezra's heart rate on the monitor begin to decrease, even with the oxygen mask.

"Magicians have _always_ been rare here on Kalifa." Alena answered as her eyes lowered. "And after Dakota and Rebecca were killed, most of the few that we _did_ have left the planet and hid somewhere in the galaxy. And the rest…well, they're just too hard to find now."

"So that's it? He's just going to die, and there's nothing we can do about it?" Zeb said angrily, turning away from Ezra's form. Rex couldn't blame him.

For a few moments, Alena didn't answer. She just bowed her head in seeming defeat, lowering the rebels' spirits. Then, as Rex watched her, she seemed to get an idea as her head shot up, hope painting her features. Going over to the 'bay's cabinets, she took out a syringe and walked back to Ezra, rolling up one of his sleeves. "Maybe…maybe not." She said hopefully as she inserted the medical device into his arm. "If I can draw some of his blood, I _might_ be able to trick a magician here into creating an antidote for nightlocke." As she spoke, she drew some of Ezra's blood with the syringe. "But it won't be easy, I can tell you that. This one doesn't like me too well."

"Who is it?" Hera asked eagerly.

Alena looked up grimly as she withdrew the syringe from Ezra's arm. "Oh, you've already met her, I'm afraid. It's Victoria from the cantina."

* * *

Alena cautiously knocked on Victoria's door above the cantina as Rex waited below the staircase. He had insisted on coming for moral support, which Alena was grateful for, but didn't know how Victoria would react to him being there. Hence, the waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

Alena's thoughts came back to the present as Victoria's door opened slowly, revealing a red-eyed Victoria, most likely having just been woken up. She wore loose-fitting clothes that definitely looked like they'd be used for sleeping in. Her green eyes settled on Alena, and distrust filtered through them as she sneered, "What do _you_ want?"

Alena wanted nothing better than to shoot an angry insult back at her, but she mentally took a deep breath. She had to keep her temper if she wanted Victoria's help. This was her only option. She just had to get through the next few minutes.

Alena put on a cautious smile as she answered, "Hi, Victoria. I was just here to…say something to you."

"Yeah?" Victoria raised an eyebrow, no doubt surprised at Alena's lack of temper. "Well, what is it?"

"I'm…" Alena had to force herself to say it, "…sorry. For everything."

Victoria looked like she'd been struck speechless by Alena's admission. "You…are?" She asked, still a little suspiciously, but she'd taken a softer tone of voice. "Why?"

"I…" Alena had to think on the fly a little for that question. "I realized that…you were right, and…I want things to change between us, whether you're with the Saviors or not." There. That sounded convincing enough. Hopefully the younger girl would buy it.

Victoria's suspicion seemed to gradually fade away as her eyes softened a bit, and she nodded in agreement. If Alena didn't know any better, she'd say that Victoria looked…well, _hopeful_ , like she actually wanted things to change. But Alena knew better. It was just an act to give her false security. Well, Victoria might try to use Alena after this, but not before Alena used her first.

Alena eagerly reached into her pocket and pulled out the syringe, now filled with Ezra's tainted blood. "Well, that's good, because I need your help to make an antidote for nightlocke. You see, a friend of mine accidentally got poisoned by its berries, but I can't make it myself. I need you to do it."

As soon as Alena said that, she immediately knew she'd said something wrong. At the older girl's words, Victoria's face had become guarded, all traces of softness ripped away as her eyes narrowed angrily. "Oh, I see now," Victoria growled out darkly. "And for a minute, I actually thought you were being halfway sincere."

"What…are you talking about?" Alena said nervously. She thought she'd gotten to Victoria, but it seemed she was wrong.

Victoria was livid as she spat out in answer, "I'm talking about you only _using_ me to get what you want. You don't actually _care_ if we do become friends again; in fact, I bet you don't want that at all! As soon as you get that antidote, you'll go right back to treating me like dirt again!"

"N-no! That's not it!" Alena said, feeling her advantage dissipating. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. "I do want it!"

"Oh, really!" Victoria said, anger simmering in her gaze. "Then why have you tacked a price tag onto it, hmmm?"

"Because—" Alena started nervously, but Victoria interrupted explosively.

"Don't lie!" She shrieked at the older girl. "If one more word out of your mouth is a lie, I'll rip your tongue out and feed it to the wolves! Tell me the truth! WHY HAVE YOU COME?!"

Alena took a step back from Victoria, feeling defeated as her gaze traveled to the ground. Sighing heavily, she relented to the request. "Fine. The truth is…that Ezra Bridger got hit with a dart of nightlocke, and I need you to make an antidote. _That_ part was the truth, at least."

Victoria growled at Alena as she digested the information, and the older girl continued to solemnly beg. " _Please_ , Victoria. I…I know we're not friends, not even close, but you can't let an innocent die because of it. If anything in you still cares about me, please do it."

Victoria's eyes narrowed and her face morphed into a hideous sneer. With a sinking heart, Alena knew her answer. " _No_."

"Why not?" Alena cried desperately. "Why can't you just put our feud aside and do something _good_ for once?"

"Because you never gave me a chance." Victoria said darkly. "When I came back, you didn't even stop to think that _maybe_ I did want to change and make things better. But you found it _so_ much easier to blame me for everything bad that happened to you. And as for Ezra _Bridger_ ," she continued haughtily, "I wouldn't help him if my life depended on it; I know _exactly_ the type of person he is. And you won't like what he _will_ be, either, if he keeps on his path. And, so far, he has shown absolutely no indications of getting off it. Trust me, Alena, that person is _far_ from innocent. And because of that, I'd say that he's been brought to _justice_."

Victoria started to go back to her room, but was stopped by footsteps running up the stairs, and Rex appeared at the top, pushing past Alena. "Please!" He pleaded with desperation to Victoria. "Don't let him die out of spite; give Ezra a chance, _please_."

Victoria looked at Rex for a moment and, for a second, Alena thought she saw Victoria's eyes soften. But then her green eyes hardened and turned to steel, and she shook her head, looking back to Alena as she jabbed a finger at the older girl. "I warned you that this day would come, Alena. I warned you what would happen if you didn't change your ways. This is _your_ bringing of justice, and the only person you have to blame now…is yourself!" With those words, Victoria shut her door with a resounding _slam_ , reflecting the disappearance of Alena's chance to finally save someone.

* * *

 _Violet watched from the top of a building in the capital city in the dead of night as her targets exited the restaurant. Vizino and Rem, laughing as though they hadn't a care in the galaxy. Looking at Vizino made her teeth grit with anger. It was time for him to get what he…what_ they _both deserved._

 _It had been a few weeks since Violet had returned to Kalifa with the sword. In that time, she had stayed in the woods, with the only contact with anything being the spirit trapped in the sword. He taught her how to use her emotions to strengthen her abilities, and with every new accomplishment, Violet could feel herself getting more and more powerful with every minute of every day. It was_ such _an exhilarating, intoxicating feeling. Finally, Spero had deemed her ready to go after Vizino._

 _She relished the opportunity to humiliate him like he'd done to her._

 _As she watched the "happy" couple pass the building she was on, she angrily gripped her sword, remembering all the pain that…_ thing _had put her through. Well, now it was her turn. She'd give him a lesson he'd never forget._

 _Violet jumped from her building and levitated silently to the ground behind Vizino and his girlfriend, who didn't even look around to make sure they weren't being followed. Apparently, they were so arrogant they believed they could get away with everything. Amateurs._

 _Using the Force, Violet pulled Rem from Vizino and threw her into a garbage can. Rem shrieked in surprise at the suddenness, but didn't have time to say anything before the teenaged magician began to choke her with the Force as she held her in the air again. Vizino, to his credit, tried to help Rem, desperately trying to pull her down as he cried out helplessly, but it was too late. With a simple squeeze of Violet's fingers, Rem's windpipe was immediately crushed, and her body went limp as she threw it into the ground._

 _With a cry of sorrow, Vizino fell to his knees and cradled Rem close to him. Violet almost got sick at the disgustingness of it all. Vizino looked up through his tears and finally noticed Violet standing in the shadows. "I'll kill you for this!" He cried out angrily; apparently, he hadn't realized who Violet was due to the shadows cloaking her features, becoming attracted and clinging to her like a second skin._

 _Violet laughed maniacally as she stepped to a place where Vizino could see who his murderer would be. "Oh, I doubt that,_ boss _."_

 _Vizino's eyes widened as he realized who the girl in front of him was. "Violet Storm? Is that you?"_

" _Well, I know you weren't expecting me, but I just couldn't help myself, Vizino." Violet said coolly as she regarded that pathetic excuse of a human being. "I simply_ love _making an entrance."_

" _Wh-why?" Vizino asked in disbelief as he got to his feet. What a stupid man to ask such a question! "She did nothing to you!"_

" _On the contrary, she did_ everything _to me. Just more…indirectly than you." Violet said venomously, her dark eyes flashing. "After all, she_ was _the woman you were cheating on your wife with, and the woman I_ caught _you with that day in your office. Your need to be a two-timing_ idiota _caused you to first blackmail me and then frame me for some terrorist crime! But in doing so, you_ greatly _underestimated the depths I will go to for justice."_

" _Wait—_ frame _you?" Vizino asked, like he couldn't believe she'd figured that part out. "But I didn't frame you for that! That was somebody else! All_ I _was going to do if you snitched on me was, as I said before, make sure that you'd never be able to get another job in this city. But I would_ never _go as far as_ that _!"_

" _Oh, spare me the lies and excuses!" Violet said angrily. She couldn't believe Vizino thought she was stupid enough to believe_ anything _he said from now on. "Of_ course _it was your fault! Nobody else had anything to gain by doing that; it was all you!" She slipped Spero's sword from its sheath and smiled wickedly at the paling face of Vizino. Perfect. He knew his time was up. "And I'm going to give you_ justice _for it."_

* * *

 _A/N: For those of you familiar with_ The Hunger Games _, you'll recognize the name nightlocke. However, I decided to take a few creative liberties in this version of it. Instead of instant death, it's a very slow, very painful death._

 _So, what do you think will happen next? Leave a comment about what you thought, please!_


	15. Clarity

_A/N: If you have read my story_ Price of Duty _, then you'll know that, at one point, I decided to put down a couple pieces of music as some of my characters' themes. Well, I have decided to do it again in this one, too. It took a while, but I have finally narrowed down the pieces of music I hope you'll listen to for a couple of my characters. For Alena's theme, I have decided to recommend the piece "Spiritual Awakening" by a group called Future World Music. For Victoria's theme, I recommend the piece "Requiem of the Night" by the group Audiomachine. I hope you'll listen to these pieces after this chapter, and that you'll let me know what you think of them for my characters in the comment box! Enjoy, though I must warn you, there is a part in this chapter that is going to strike you as odd, and I'm not going to directly explain it to you for quite some time._

 _P.S. Thank you, guest reviewer Mogor, for commenting on my last chapter! I appreciated your thoughts on it!_

 _UPDATE: I'm sorry I didn't post this with the chapter, but it just slipped my mind. Anyway, I believe that this will be my last chapter update for the year before taking a break for the rest of December and the first couple weeks of January, I believe. Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!_

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Clarity**

"How is he now?" Zeb asked worriedly as Sabine and Hera checked the monitors and medical equipment hooked up to Ezra. All Rex could do was silently watch as his friends did everything they could to keep Ezra alive and beat the poison.

"It's not good," Sabine said sadly, eyes downcast as she changed the settings on the equipment again. "No matter what we do, _nothing_ is slowing down that poison. He could die at any time now."

As the others worked in the medbay, Rex walked out to the _Ghost_ 's hangar bay. Its ramp was still down, even as the cold, blustery night went on. Despite the warmth of the past few days, snow fell steadily to the ground. Sitting dejectedly on the ship's ramp, with her knees pulled up to her chin, was Alena, her short dark hair blowing in the snowy wind, her dark eyes staring into space.

She had been like that since she and Rex had returned empty-handed to the other rebels.

Rex sat next to her, but the girl gave no indication that she heard or saw him. The old clone set his hand down on Alena's shoulder, attempting to comfort her. "Alena, don't think that this is your fault. It's not."

Again, Alena didn't answer or acknowledge him, but Rex saw her eyes start to glitter with unshed tears. "I mean it, Alena. This isn't your fault. It's the Saviors' for hitting Ezra with it in the first place, and it's Victoria's for refusing to help him just out of spite for you."

Rex clenched his jaw as he thought of Victoria. He knew that Alena and Victoria had been far from friends, but when he had first met her that night in the cantina, he'd had a feeling that there was something different about her. If anything, he had hoped that anything Victoria would have done toward Alena would have only affected her. But over the last few days, he had realized that there were things about Victoria that didn't exactly make him eager to trust her, but he had still wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. He had been foolish not to fully believe Alena when she said that Victoria was someone would could never be forgiven or trusted, even though she _had_ saved him and Ezra from the Saviors. Now, though, he believed that statement was the truth.

As he thought about it, he supposed that he just didn't want to believe the truth after how he felt Victoria had, somehow, been able to understand the old clone in his grief over Rebecca. That they had connected somehow that night. Now, though, he knew how wrong he had been.

He wished he hadn't.

Rex was startled out of his thoughts by Alena finally answering him, her head bent down in guilty shame. "It _is_ , though, Rex. Victoria warned me about this, remember?" She raised her head up again and locked eyes with the captain. "I could have heeded her warning, tried to treat her better because of it, but I didn't. And now Ezra is paying the price because of me. And don't try to say that it's not my fault," Alena said, stopping Rex from saying that very thing again, "because this all could have been avoided if I'd remembered to fear the power of a prophecy."

"You really think what Victoria told you was a prophecy?" Rex asked incredulously, finding it difficult to grasp the notion of prophecies. He was a soldier, not a mystic, after all.

Alena nodded despondently as she answered. "Yes, I do. Victoria is one of the most powerful magicians I've ever known. If someone was going to figure out how to prophesy, it'd be her every time."

Rex fell silent, knowing that Alena would ignore anything else he said to assuage the blame she'd placed on her shoulders. After a moment, Alena inhaled shakily and exhaled, her breath becoming visible in the cold. "Please, Rex, I just…need to be alone right now. Please leave."

After a few seconds of hesitation, Rex reluctantly complied, getting to his feet and walking back to the medbay, leaving behind the distraught young woman in her pain and grief.

* * *

Alena couldn't believe she'd been so _stupid_. What had she been thinking, going to Victoria after she'd uttered that prophecy? How could she have been so foolish in failing to recognize the younger girl's words until it was too late to change it?

She clutched her head in her hands in anguish and frustration, barely registering the pain at her nails biting into her scalp. She squeezed her eyes shut as her hair flew about in the cold, snowy wind. Why, _why_ couldn't she have heeded that prophecy? Why couldn't she have _listened_ for once? Why did she have to be such a disgrace to the magician community?

Why?

 _Why?_

That one word reverberated throughout her mind as she focused on it and raised her head, knowing that Ezra didn't have much time left. Perhaps an hour, at the very least, or two, at the very most. Then he would die.

And it would be because of her.

"Well, now, isn't that a common thought these days, Alena?"

Startled at the intrusion, Alena raised her head and looked in front of her, seeing a flash of dark clothing disappear around the side of a nearby tree as a female voice chuckled softly. She stood up cautiously and silently stepped off the _Ghost_ 's ramp onto the ground, now covered in a blanket of snow, the snow falling thickly around her.

She knew she shouldn't leave the rebels, not with Ezra in the condition he was, but she slowly started walking in the direction the strange person had disappeared in. As she rounded the tree, she heard someone whistle and turned in that direction, this time seeing the figure of a woman disappearing through the woods, dark cloak flapping behind her. Despite herself, Alena kept following the woman through the town, gaining speed with every step until she started running, journeying deeper into the forest. She couldn't explain why she was following her, but she felt there was something…familiar about the woman, though she was certain she'd never heard or seen her before. And she knew, somehow, that she _had_ to talk to her.

Alena kept sprinting, having a tougher time keeping up as the snowy wind blew harder and the snow level rose around her, but she kept at it, the woman's voice guiding her through the trees. After a while, Alena saw a break in the trees up ahead and surged for it, though she could no longer hear the woman's voice. She finally burst into a clearing completely blanketed with snow. But she still couldn't see the woman she followed.

Confused, Alena turned around in a circle, trying to find her, until she heard a light chuckle behind her. Spinning around, she saw the young woman leaning against a small mound covered in snow, a gentle smile adorning her face, and her dark cloak blanketing her.

Alena almost spoke to her, but she paused, finally noticing her face. She had tanned skin and distinctly sharp features. She looked no older than Alena, but her dark blue, almost indigo, eyes looked much older and _tired_ , despite her smile. She seemed familiar, but at the same time, a stranger. Her dark raven hair fell loosely down her back, but, strangely enough, wasn't moving with the strong winds like Alena's short hair was. Neither was her cloak, come to think of it.

In fact, not only did the mysterious young woman not seem to notice or react to the cold, but, as Alena looked more closely, she noticed a faint shimmer surrounding the woman. And she was… _transparent_?

Eyes widening, Alena stumbled back a few paces in trepidation. The young woman's smile faded as she did, turning into a tight-lipped line. "Wh-what _are_ you?" Alena sputtered out, wishing she had taken to carrying around a weapon like the _Ghost_ crew did. It would have helped her feel a lot better.

The woman stepped forward, shimmering as she answered with a raised eyebrow. "I suppose you might call me a…a spirit." That confirmed Alena's suspicions, but only succeeded in confusing her further. "As for _who_ I am, well, just take a look here." The ghost gestured at the snow-covered mound she had been leaning against, and beckoned Alena to come closer. Reluctantly, Alena complied, taking slow, cautious steps forward. When she reached the mound, the ghost nodding for her to continue, Alena reached out with her hand and brushed away the snow on the mound, revealing a small gravestone with a name etched into it.

 _Violet Storm._

Alena's mouth dropped open in shock and she took a look at the ghost, apparently Violet, again. Now that she really thought about it, she realized that her deceased mentor Rebecca looked a lot like her sister, even though she had been several years older than the ghost's age when Alena had known her. Rebecca's features had been softer, but that sad smile, the face shape, the skin color, and the eye shape belonged to both her and Violet. Violet also looked a lot like someone else…someone she didn't want to think about.

"How can this be?" Alena asked, now more confused than surprised. "I thought…only those who followed the _Ashla_ , the Light Side, were able to live on in the Force."

"Well, that _is_ a rather difficult question, isn't it?" Violet asked, her grave expression giving way to subtle bemusement. "I suppose I _could_ tell you," she went on with a sly smile, "but I'm not going to. It's not the right time, I'm afraid."

"What does time have to do with it?" Alena asked as she narrowed her eyes at Violet.

"Well, time is important for everything and everyone," Violet said, deliberately choosing not to answer Alena's meaning behind the question. "Time allows people to grow up, to become wiser, more knowledgeable, more skilled at something. It even helps people to heal from things. If they allow it to, that is," she continued as her smile disappeared, and her expression darkened. "Unfortunately, many people don't allow time to do that for them. Instead of finding peace and wisdom over time, they allow wounds inflicted on them to fester, leaving an infection stained on their hearts. They won't allow time to help them grow stronger; only weaker, though they _think_ that means they're strong." Violet went on, eyeing Alena closely, who had the feeling the ghost was going to start talking about her. "And by the time they finally realize how wrong they were, oftentimes it's far too late to do anything about it. For example, if someone was refusing to forgive an old friend of hers, perhaps?"

Alena's eyes narrowed as she digested the ghost's words, not liking what she was saying. Who was someone who'd never even met her before to tell her what to do and what not to do? "That's not any of your business!" She hissed at the apparition. "Whatever is between me and Victoria, it is between _us_. You have no right to tell me what to do about it. I can take care of it _myself_."

"Uh-huh," Violet said noncommittally, clearly not believing her. "And you think that because you have done _such_ a great job with it so far, hmmm?"

Alena flinched at Violet's sarcastic comment, knowing, deep down, that the ghost was probably right, but not yet willing to admit it. "Hey, don't blame me for Victoria's problems; if she hadn't left in the first place, none of this would have ever happened." She said gruffly as Violet raised an eyebrow. "This fight between us is because of _her_."

"As _I_ recall," Violet said coolly, "it takes two to tango, so to speak. You could have forgiven her when she returned, you know. But you didn't, and this hostile tension has been festering between you two ever since."

"Wh-what?" Alena said confusedly. "How do you know that? You weren't even there!"

"Being a spirit tends to come with its perks, Alena," Violet explained. "I may not know _everything_ , but I've made a point to keep an eye on people my sister cared about over the years. But you still didn't answer my question. Why didn't you forgive Victoria when she came back?"

* * *

 _Alena hummed to herself as she cleaned the countertop of the cantina's bar area. It had been a good day for her. The customers hadn't been too bad, and she had been able to dole out good service to them. Also, she had_ finally _been able to pay off the loan debt she had had on her apartment for the last three years. Though things hadn't been easy for her, she expected that they could only get better now._

 _"Alena!" Her boss cried as he came out of the back room. "Get in here; we have a new employee to greet."_

 _Alena turned to ask who, but her boss had already gone back into the back room. Shrugging, Alena followed; she'd find out who it was anyway. And it was a good thing they'd been able to find someone else; the cantina was becoming more popular with people, which meant more customers she had to serve by herself, since her boss never really did anything but give out the checks. At least she'd get a break from time to time now._

 _Entering the back room, Alena put on a practiced grin, saying, even before she saw the new recruit, "Hi, I'm Alena, who_ — _"_

 _Then she saw who it was._

 _It was a face she'd hoped to never see again. Victoria._

 _"Victoria?" Alena whispered as her boss introduced them, oblivious to the older girl's reaction. Alena caught that Victoria'd be helping with the shifts_ she _was on from now on, but she tuned the rest of it out, too intent on staring at her ex-friend._

 _It had been five years since she'd last seen her, but there was no denying who she was. Alena would recognize those features and dark green eyes anywhere. Victoria had a worried expression on her face, eyebrows scrunched together in concern, but Alena ignored it, letting the feelings she'd pushed down for five_ years _come roaring back. Dimly, she heard her_ — _their_ — _boss say that he was going home before he left through the back door, leaving the two girls alone._

 _Alena clenched her jaw and folded her arms, giving Victoria a scathing glare. She had no right to come back after what she'd done for all this time. She could tell; there was, behind Victoria's worried expression, a darkness to her. She could feel it through the Force. "What are you doing here?" She said gruffly._

 _"Getting a job, of course," Victoria said with a small smile, the joke falling flat as Alena's glare deepened. Victoria's smile fell, and she shifted uncomfortably, looking at the ground. "Actually, I was hoping to run into you at some point, Alena. I admit, I didn't expect it so soon, but I was hoping we could talk."_

 _"What is there to talk about?" Alena said harshly. "You_ left _to join..._ them _. And don't lie to me about it; I can sense the darkness inside you!"_

 _Victoria sighed sadly as she spoke up, locking eyes with Alena. "I...I did, I won't deny that. But I'm not anymore, Alena, and I...I need to talk to someone."_

 _"You're_ not _?" Alena said incredulously, eyes widening at how stupid Victoria seemed to think she was. "Please, now I_ know _that's a lie. You know the stories as well as I do: once you join them, there's no point of return. And you joined them."_

 _Victoria's green eyes began to harden, a defiance entering them as she answered. "It's true; I did join them. But you shouldn't believe everything you read, Alena. Those magicians...while they may have been powerful, they weren't always right about things. I didn't think you'd believe everything they wrote so easily, Alena. At least, not without really thinking about what they said."_

 _"I don't need to think about what they said because they're right." Alena said coldly. "Once you become a Dark Magician, there's no going back. Ever. And don't expect me to change my mind about it when you_ left _me and haven't been back for this long. It's too late for you, Victoria."_

 _Victoria looked closely at Alena, eyes narrowing. "Is that what you_ really _think, Alena?"_

 _Alena wished she could trust Victoria, but she just couldn't see how. Too much time had passed, and it was clear that Victoria had become a different, darker person in that time. She would_ not _give the younger girl the power to hurt her again._

 _"Yes. It is."_

* * *

"Because, well, because of what she's done! I know that she did horrible things when she was with them, Violet!" Alena cried out as she pushed the memory aside, needing the ghost to understand what she was saying. "And I bet she wasn't sorry for it, _ever_. A person like that...doesn't deserve to be forgiven. She deserves to be hated forever."

"Deserve, huh?" Violet said as she stared at Alena incredulously. "That's how you're going about it, then? She deserves to be hated for her crimes against sentient beings?"

"Yes, she does," Alena said, nodding her head vigorously. "The things she's done are too horrible for anything less."

"Do you hate me, then?"

Alena was taken aback by the abrupt question Violet gave her. "What?"

"I said, do you hate me?" Violet asked earnestly, eyebrow raised. "There's no reason why you shouldn't; after all, I went down in history as one of the baddest of the bad, destroying and tarnishing the reputation of my family's good name. For the Force's sake, I _killed_ my _mother_. I was just as bad as Victoria is. Actually, I was probably worse than she's ever been. At least _she_ didn't try to hunt down and kill her family for not agreeing with her on something."

"Well..." Alena said, reluctant to answer. If she told the truth, she was certain Violet would turn it around on her. Deep down inside, though, she asked herself if it really was so bad to listen to what Violet thought about this. "...of course not. It wasn't your fault; it was the First Dark Magician's sword. It influenced you to do all those things."

"And yet, not all the questionable things I did was because of it," Violet pointed out. "The decision to find that sword in the first place, for example. That was _my_ decision." The ghost's expression grew dark and hideously bitter as she recounted the memory, making Alena feel as though this ghost still wasn't completely free of that dark sword's influence. "Nobody forced me to do that. And, yes, the sword _did_ influence me when I found it, but I didn't have to listen to it. I could have chosen to ignore it, to return home to my family to help me defeat that darkness. But I didn't, because I was young and stupid, and I only saw what I wanted to see, ignoring the warnings around me until it was too late!"

"B-but," Alena stuttered, desperate to think of something that would justify herself to the ghost. "I can't be wrong about this! The old magicians said—"

"Oh, I didn't realize you were the type to blindly believe something just because it's _easier_ to deal with my kind that way," Violet spat out angrily, a dark fire blazing in her eyes. "The magicians of old did not know everything, Alena, however much you want to think they do. Besides, the magicians you're talking about were not meant to represent the whole of the magician community back then. They were only one part of it. And those particular magicians weren't perfect; they were as flawed as anybody. They were as flawed as you." Violet said, eyes narrowing at Alena, who shifted uncomfortably underneath her judgmental gaze. "Like you, there were those who refused to see that a Dark Magician could change. They didn't want to forgive the ones that had wronged them. And do you know what happened to them?"

At Alena's head shaking _no_ reluctantly, Violet continued, eyes darkening into a frightful expression. "Those particular people thought that, because they were the so-called 'Light Magicians,' their own mistakes were somehow more justifiable than their enemies', and they started to use that view to compromise their own values, regardless of whether it was right or not, as long as they came out looking good. They forgot one of the most important rules they had been taught by their families: the importance of humility, and the true peace and freedom forgiveness brings. After all, what do you remember Dakota and Rebecca telling you about the refusal to forgive?"

Alena cast her eyes down, embarrassed at what she had to say. "That...all grudges do is bring you more pain, but that forgiveness will take away the burden you carry, even if the one that's been forgiven never changes from it."

"And yet, you ignored their advice in these last years. You abandoned your studies in the mystical arts, and you buried away all thoughts of them."

"I know," Alena said, still looking down, "but I don't see how that's supposed to help me. I'm sorry that I didn't do what they wanted, but...is it wrong that it just hurt too much to do anything that reminded me of them?"

"Of course not," Violet told Alena, her eyes softening as the living girl looked up. "But you refused to let time heal your wounds; you refused to face your pain, so you locked it up and threw away the key, so to speak. And when Victoria returned, all that pain came tumbling back, and you didn't want to face it. So I ask you this: is the real reason you're angry at Victoria because she left you, or is it because you're angry that you'll have to deal with that pain again?"

Alena opened her mouth, wanting to argue against that, but then she closed it. What could she say? Violet was right. Yes, she had been angry with Victoria leaving, but she was more angry at the thought of getting hurt again by having to face her past pain. The fear of Victoria adding to that pain in the future was just the final nail in her coffin. Violet was right about Alena. She'd been wrong to treat Victoria in the way she had, not even giving her a chance to see if she _wanted_ to change. That thought had never entered Alena's mind. Or maybe it had, but she'd just kept ignoring it, believing that lashing out at Victoria all the time was easier than reconciliation. And, to be honest, it probably _was_ easier, but that certainly didn't make it right.

Falling to her knees, Alena did what she should have been doing all along instead of fighting. She wept, remembering all that she had lost, and all that she had done as a result of it. All the things she _hadn't_ done, but should have. All the horrible things she'd said to Victoria to make herself feel better. Her fears, her guilt, her pain, her mistakes. She covered her face with her hands as she continued to sob, disregarding the fact that it was so cold and snowy, the tears freezing on her face.

She wasn't sure how long she stayed like that, crying her eyes out, but eventually she felt a hand settle on her shoulder and squeeze comfortingly, which was strange. She always thought that ghosts couldn't touch things. Nevertheless, Violet patted her shoulder before silently placing her arms around the other girl. As she continued to cry, a thought entered Alena's mind that caused her to clench her jaw. Not from anger, but from fear.

Raising her head, Alena addressed Violet. "But what if...what if Victoria _won't_ change? I've put her through so much abuse the past few months. What if...she won't believe me? How do I know I can trust her?"

Violet's face changed as Alena asked her questions, becoming dark as she was lost in thought. After a few moments of silence, Violet finally answered, expression softening to solemnity. "The thing is...I don't have that answer. That's a choice you'll have to make on your own. Sometimes, though, you just need to have faith about things, and have hope that Victoria _can_ change. Because if you never try, then you'll never truly know what lies in her heart."

"And if it's too late?" Alena said, voice quivering. Victoria had every right to stomp on her for her past abuse, after all.

Violet sighed sadly, looking into the forest behind them. "I think...that it's never too late until someone's dead. Even if it takes you the rest of your life, you should let Victoria know that you will always give her a chance when she wants it."

Alena nodded despondently, staying in her kneeled position as the wind raged around her. She dug her hands into the snow in front of her to distract herself. To her surprise, however, as she dug the snow away, she felt something...soft brush against her fingers. Looking more closely, Alena dug into the snow some more, until she unearthed something unexpected. It was a flower, but it was unlike any flower she'd ever seen before. For one thing, it was somehow alive, even under all the snow. For another, its color was...silver. Alena had never heard of a silver flower before.

Except...as she continued to think, Alena realized that she _had_ heard of silver flowers before. Dakota had told her about a silver lily, a magical plant born from the tears of the heartbroken. And legend had it...

In a flash, Alena whipped to face Violet again, eyes widening with the realization. "Is this...real?"

Violet nodded and smiled gently. With a start, Alena realized that the ghost was fading away into nothingness. "Wait! Don't go! Tell me what to do!"

Though Alena could no longer see the ghost, she could still hear her as she chuckled. "You already know what to do, Alena. You've always known. And you don't need me to stay," she continued as her voice began fading away. "On the contrary, perhaps I was never here to begin with."

Even though Alena was filled with fear, wondering if the flower would really work, she also had a sense of confident exhilaration. She may not be strong where spells were concerned, but the one thing she had _never_ forgotten was potion-making.

* * *

Rex sat at the foot of Ezra's bed, despondently wringing his hands. On the other sides of the medical cot, Sabine, Hera, and Zeb surrounded him as they too waited. Even Chopper was in the room now, letting out a grumpily sad beep every now and then.

There was nothing more they could do for Ezra now. All they could do was wait. Whether they were waiting for him to live or die was anybody's guess.

With every passing moment, Ezra's heartbeat slowed more and more. Rex knew that it would eventually stop, but waiting for that inevitability was suspenseful. He didn't know what they'd really do when the kid died. He'd been the heart and soul of the _Ghost_ crew, and now that he was...dying, well, Rex knew that nothing would ever be the same for any of them again.

Suddenly, Rex heard steps rapidly running up the _Ghost_ 's ramp. The others turned their heads at the sound, and Alena suddenly burst through the medbay's entrance, breathing heavily, as though she'd run a long distance. Though her eyes were red, and she was covered in snow, Alena smiled broadly as she lifted up a flower she'd been carrying. "I've got it!"

"What have you got?" Hera asked before the others could. Though Rex didn't want to risk it, he couldn't help the bloom of hope starting to flare in his gut. Alena had to be this triumphant for only one reason, and Rex had a feeling it had to do with Ezra.

"A silver lily," Alena quickly explained as she pushed past them to reach the cupboards in the room. Sliding one open, she took out a bowl and placed the lily into it. "It's one of the rarest plants in the galaxy; I had no idea there were even any on this planet, but it's a miracle!"

"But what has a plant got to do with anything?" Sabine asked as she raised an eyebrow as Alena ran water from the nearby med sink into the bowl.

"Because this is no ordinary plant," Alena proclaimed as she proceeded to crush the flower inside the water bowl with a thick, rounded piece of wood. "The silver lily is a legendary magical plant. It can only sprout from the tears of heartbroken magicians, but it has the power to heal anything. Even nightlocke poison."

"So, it'll cure Ezra, then?" Zeb asked eagerly as he watched Alena finish crushing the plant's juices into the bowl.

Alena nodded enthusiastically as she took the bowl over to where Ezra was laying, his heartbeat drastically slow, and getting slower. Carefully, Alena took the oxygen mask off and helped Ezra sit up. She opened his mouth and helped him drink the mixture in the bowl, little by little. When the bowl was empty, Alena set it aside, and everyone waited.

Before long, Rex heard the unmistakable sound of Ezra's heart monitor picking up speed, and his pale skin began to look healthier. He tiredly opened his blue eyes and sat up as everyone stood astonished. "Hey, everyone," the young Jedi said as he tiredly yawned. "Wh-what just happened?"

* * *

 _Violet knocked on her old home's door confidently, ready to face her mother again. She'd laid low for a couple more weeks after she'd killed Vizino and his girlfriend, using the time to hone her abilities once more. She knew she needed the time to control herself and her temper again, as the wrath she'd inflicted on Vizino had been quite...destructive. She'd originally planned to kill him with a simple dagger, but when she'd seen him...her temper had just flared up, and she'd acted without thinking. The way she had killed him had been too distinct. The police would know that they should be looking for a very dangerous person instead of a random thief._

 _Well, no matter. Whatever happened next, it'd be to her advantage. They wouldn't be able to figure out who had killed him, and she would roam free while the police ran themselves ragged trying to catch the criminal._

 _A criminal of justice._

 _Violet was pulled out of her thoughts as the door opened, and Skylar stepped out, shock coloring her features. "Violet?" She whispered as she reached out with one hand. Violet had forgotten how blinding her mother's aura was; it hurt her eyes. She slipped a sunvisor out of her bag and over her eyes just as Skylar bolted forth and fiercely hugged her oldest daughter. Violet gasped from the sudden shortness of breath, and, despite herself, brought her arms around her mother as well._

 _After a few minutes, Skylar finally stepped back and laughed with relief, wiping tears from her blue eyes. "I'm so glad you're back, Violet. What happened to you? I was so worried! First, the police show up at my doorstep saying that you've been allying yourself with terrorists, and no one can find a trace of you_ anywhere _! Then, I felt some sort of disturbance in the Force, and now here you are, a month later! Where have you been?"_

 _"It's okay, Mom," Violet said with a small smile, despite the anger boiling beneath her skin. "I had to go into hiding for a bit so I wouldn't go to jail until they'd caught the real culprit."_

 _"And they caught the real one?" Skylar asked with a raised eyebrow._

 _Violet smirked haughtily. "Oh, they caught him, alright." She'd made sure the police would have found Vizino, not to mention the incriminating evidence regarding the terrorists she'd slipped into his clothes after his...unfortunate demise._

 _Skylar appeared to pay no attention to Violet's expression as she turned to go back into the house, beckoning her daughter to follow. Violet grit her teeth and reluctantly followed, no longer interested in taking orders from anyone anymore._

She doesn't understand you anymore. Maybe she never did. _Spero's voice whispered in her mind._

 _Inside, not much appeared to have changed; everything seemed exactly the same as the day she had left. Except for a couple things._

 _"Where's Rebecca and Dakota?" Violet asked, eager to catch up with her sister and friend. "It's seemed so long since I last saw them."_

 _"Oh, Dakota advanced in her studies well enough to go off on her own trips from time to time, and Rebecca's in another town with a fellow magician." Skylar casually dismissed as she went into the kitchen. "They probably won't be back for some weeks."_

Weeks _? Violet grit her teeth once again, fighting to keep a hold on her temper. Her mother had never let_ her _leave the town until she'd already made her own plans to go to capital. Now Dakota and Rebecca, who were one and two years younger than her, could just go off doing who-knew-what in who-knew-where? Where was this lax personality when_ Violet _was around?_

She thought you were _different_ , _Spero whispered quietly again._ She believed you weren't powerful enough to hold your own and couldn't be trusted to run your own life.

 _Violet narrowed her eyes as she followed Skylar into the kitchen, tying a nearby apron around her waist as her mother took various ingredients out of the cupboards. "Oh, good, you decided to help," Skylar said cheerfully as she prodded her oldest daughter to a part of the counter. "Can you please slice these onions for me while I get everything else ready? Make sure the slices are even!" Without waiting for an answer, Skylar excitedly darted back to the cupboards, leaving Violet no choice but to pick up the nearby butcher knife and do as her_ mother _had said. She hated the commanding attitude her mother always had, acting like_ she _was the only one who could be depended on for everything and anything. It burned her up with anger so much, she had a thought she'd never had before._

 _She wished she could kill her mother._

* * *

 _A/N: Don't forget to leave a comment below, and don't forget to listen to the music in my above author's note and comment, if you please!_


	16. Forgiveness and Suspicions

_A/N: Well, I'm finally back from vacation! I hope you all had a good Christmas break! Also, thank you, Mogor, for reviewing my last chapter! It is much appreciated!_

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Forgiveness and Suspicions**

"So, I almost died?" Ezra said incredulously after the other rebels had recounted what had happened after he'd been hit by that dart. Honestly, it was all a blur to the young Jedi. He remembered feeling very tired and nauseous, and he'd heard some raised voices, but then...it had all been just a blank, until he'd gotten the antidote and woken up.

As Ezra turned over what he'd learned in his head, some details from it stood out in his mind. In particular, one person's reaction caused his blood to boil through his veins again. He _knew_ she couldn't be trusted. "And Victoria had the chance to make the antidote sooner, but she wouldn't _just_ because she doesn't _like_ us?" He asked his friends as his blue eyes narrowed and he scoffed. "I can't say I'm surprised that someone like her wouldn't want to help us. We already know that she's with the Saviors, and I bet _she_ was probably even the person who shot that dart at me!" At Ezra's words, the _Ghost_ crew's expressions grew grim as they digested Ezra's accusation, no doubt considering the future consequences of Victoria being so close to them all the time, a fact which made the teenaged boy almost sigh with relief. He couldn't wait before he was far away from Victoria's judgmental gaze.

"Now, wait just a minute, there," Alena said, holding up her hands in a placating gesture. "We don't know for sure if she really was involved with that, and it won't do any good to keep pointing fingers at others. Besides, her refusal to help Ezra wasn't her fault. Not entirely, anyway."

Ezra stared at Alena incredulously as he swung his legs off the medbay cot and stood up. Of all the people on Kalifa, he had thought that she'd always be against Victoria. But now...there was something different about her. The way she held herself and the look in her eyes as she spoke was...different. And Ezra wasn't sure if he liked it. "What are you talking about? That was _her_ choice, not anybody else's! Besides, it's obvious she's been planning something like this just to humiliate you! Remember what she said after those thugs tried to kill me and Rex?"

Alena sighed as Ezra spoke, then pinned him with a determined look. "Be that as it may, she wouldn't have done that if I hadn't pushed her so hard for so long." Her gaze turned sad as she continued. "I knew _exactly_ what to say to get her to lose her temper, and because I never even _tried_ to be civil to her, I guess she finally came to the place where she didn't see any point to try, either. And, maybe, if I hadn't tried to trick her, if I had been sincere, she might have helped make the antidote. Like it or not, she made the choice, but _I_ also played a part in her decisions, however indirect they were. So, it's my fault, too."

"Huh?" Ezra was confused. He didn't quite get what Alena was trying to say. "But you can't just blame yourself for other people's actions, Alena."

"I know." Alena said firmly as her dark gaze hardened slightly, obviously irritated at Ezra for not understanding what she was saying. "But things aren't as black-and-white as you want to think, Ezra. I'm not saying that she's blameless in all of this, but I'm also not saying that I am, either."

Ezra didn't think he liked what Alena was saying. After all, Victoria was the _enemy_. She was one of the Saviors, and that made her a threat to what the rebels were doing. But he could see he wasn't about to change Alena's mind. He guessed it'd be up to the rest of the rebels to keep their eyes on the other girl. "So, what are you going to do, then?"

Alena sighed once more, a grim expression forming on her face. "The same thing I should have done at the beginning."

* * *

The next day, Alena stepped through the back door of the cantina, looking around for Victoria. She spotted the younger girl at the counter nearby, expertly chopping up food for potential customers with her back to the older girl. Alena inhaled slowly as she readied herself. Even though she knew she had to reconcile with Victoria, her pride still reared away at the prospect of admitting to Victoria that she had been wrong. But it had to be done.

"Victoria?" Alena cringed at how unsure she sounded, hoping that Victoria hadn't noticed. The younger girl had stiffened as soon as Alena spoke, and slowly turned, revealing a hostile, wary expression as she narrowed her dark green eyes at Alena.

"What do _you_ want?" Victoria asked coldly, giving Alena a black look. Alena cringed again at the harshness of her old friend's voice, but she knew she deserved it. When it came down to it, ultimately, she was no better than Victoria, letting her pride and hurt dictate her actions.

But now it was time to change that.

"I was hoping to...talk," Alena began as she sat at the nearby table cautiously. A sneer crossed Victoria's face, no doubt remembering that the older girl had said those same words just the day before.

"This again? What do you want me to do _now_? Or are you still stuck on me healing that pathetic excuse for a Jedi?" Victoria spat out hostilely, eyes narrowing further into slits.

"Umm...no, I'm not here for that. Actually, it turns out I was able to heal him with a particular plant," Alena knew she was most likely making a big gamble about that part. After all, Victoria had no reason to not report that back to the Saviors. But, Alena remembered Violet's counsel, and believed that there was still a part of Victoria she could reach.

"Then what do you want?"

"Nothing." Alena said casually, sighing sadly as she looked down. "I just wanted you to know that...I realized I haven't been fair to you. You see, when you left five years ago, after the rebel cell and the Empire...I just...shut down and locked up my pain, because I just couldn't deal with all of it. I didn't want that burden. I thought if I did that, pretended it never happened, that my life would become easier, normal. Or at least...as normal as it could be, given the circumstances. I thought I'd put it all behind me, to never be heard from again. But then...you showed up again."

Victoria's hard expression didn't seem to change, but Alena could sense something within the younger girl. Not like she was believing it, exactly, but more like...she understood it, at the very least. Feeling more confident, Alena pressed on, even as she felt tears begin to gather in her eyes. "When you did, Victoria, all that pain, everything that I'd worked so hard to hide...it all came rushing back, and in a flash, I knew that I would never truly be free from it. Not while you were around to remind me, at least. And I...I still didn't want to face it. It was easier to blame somebody for my pain, anybody. And it...it was easier to deal with you when I believed that you were incapable of changing, of coming back to who you once were. At least, that's what I kept telling myself. So, the reason I'm here is to say that...I'm sorry. For not trying to help you before you left, and for making things hard for you when you returned. And I..." Alena hesitated, knowing what she needed to say, then pushed on, even under Victoria's sharp gaze. "...I forgive you. For running off and joining the Dark Magicians."

After Alena's admission, silence permeated the air for several long moments. Victoria's expression didn't change as Alena watched. The younger girl finally crossed her arms and spoke. "And _what_ , may I ask, resulted in this rapid change of thought? Only yesterday, you were seeking to use me for your own gain. And _now_ , now you want to be friends? What happened?"

Alena looked down again, trying to think of what to say. "It's...really hard to explain. You probably wouldn't believe me."

"Try me." Victoria said dryly, raising an eyebrow in challenge.

"Fine." Alena said, standing up from her seat. "Last night, I followed a...a ghost to the place where I found the plant for the nightlocke antidote. That ghost told me that her name was Storm. _Violet_ Storm."

" _What_?" Victoria said in disbelief as she stiffened again, displaying the first sense of being caught completely off guard by something. "But...that's completely impossible! How could _that_ be possible?"

"The truth is...I don't know," Alena shrugged. "All I know is that she _was_ there, and she helped open my eyes to what I was doing, how I was only hurting you...and to an extent, myself."

"How am I supposed to believe you _this_ time, though?" Victoria asked as she took a step forward to Alena, eyes narrowing again. "How am I supposed to know that this isn't another trick, that you _truly_ want things to change? How can I trust you after all you've done?"

"I don't know," Alena said earnestly. "But last night, Violet also told me that believing you can change is a choice I'll have to make myself. I've made that choice. The question now is, will you?"

At those words, Victoria turned away from Alena, and silently stared at the wall. For a moment, Alena didn't think Victoria was going to speak. Then, the younger girl's voice rang out as she turned back. "I need time to think about this, Alena. And if... _if_ I do decide that you're telling the truth this time, I can't guarantee that things will go back to how they were five years ago. I made the mistake of thinking that when I first got back here." Her green gaze penetrated Alena's brown one. "No matter what I do, I will _never_ be that girl again."

"I don't expect that from you, Victoria," Alena said kindly. "Things have changed too much over the years, and we're both different people now. But when you do make your choice, just know that no matter which one it is, I'll always be here for you."

* * *

Later that day, Rex walked through the cantina door, and was treated to the sight of Victoria wiping off the counter. Before last night, he might have taken a seat near her and talked with her. Now though...

...now it was time to stop defending her. Much as it pained him, as much as he didn't want to believe Alena, Victoria had made her choice, and she'd chosen the Saviors. It was time for him to draw the line separating them.

He took a seat at the table furthest from Victoria in the near-empty cantina. He didn't see Alena anywhere; she must have gone on her break or ended her shift. Well, no matter. He'd just order a drink or some food, then be on his way.

Rex spied Victoria making her way over to his table, no doubt to take his order. What he didn't expect was the teenaged girl pulling a seat up beside him, which was puzzling.

"What are you doing, Victoria?" The old clone captain asked, careful to keep his tone low so as to not attract attention from the other customers, even with as few a number that he saw.

"Sitting," Victoria answered noncommittally, raising an eyebrow in amusement at his question.

"No, I mean, what are you doing sitting next to me? I thought you'd be treating me like the Blue Shadow Virus," Rex specified. If she was there to try to interrogate him for information, she was out of luck. He wasn't going to give her anything. "After all, you have no reason to pretend to be civil to us anymore. We know exactly who you are now. Last night cemented that fact more than anything else. So why don't you just leave?"

"Hmmm," Victoria said nonchalantly. She didn't seem to lose her temper or anything, but she did look like she was thinking. "And, who, might I ask, do you think I am?"

"You're..." Rex was about to answer, but then thought better of it. To be honest, he wasn't quite sure how to describe who Victoria was, but he _did_ know one crucial thing about her. "All I know is that you're someone I shouldn't trust anymore. You're dangerous. And you're not who I thought you were when I first met you."

"And who did you used to think I was?" Victoria asked curiously, striking Rex with the earnestness of her expression, even with the challenge in her gaze, causing him to pause in his answer. But his hesitance didn't last long.

"What does it matter?" Rex said forlornly as he sat back. "It's clear now that you aren't who I thought you might have been, and I held you to the wrong expectations because of my foolishness. All I feel when I see you now is disappointment."

"Well," Victoria began in a low tone, staring down at the table, "you'll find that I've pretty much done nothing but disappoint people for the last five years, so I'd say you have me down to pat at the moment." If Rex didn't know better, he'd say that Victoria looked...regretful. But looking up at Rex suddenly, a fierceness entered her gaze as she continued. "But I'm not going to justify myself for you. My reasons for doing what I've done are my own. And I don't care what you think about me for it."

"Then why are you still sitting here? Why aren't you angry with me? Why keep up this charade for the Saviors?" Rex asked, not sure why he cared so much about how she answered, but knowing that he needed to know.

Victoria's striking green eyes narrowed as she answered. "I didn't refuse to help you for the _Saviors_. I did it for _me_ , because you're right. I am a dangerous person, but do you know _why_ I'm so dangerous?" At Rex's perplexed head shake, she continued. "Because everything I do is for _me_. Not the Saviors, and certainly not the rebels. I'm not tied to any cause. True, I may be associated with the Saviors, but the _second_ they do something I don't like or agree with, I'll be working out a way to take them down before they even suspect anything. Because you see, Rex, I'm not really on their side. I'm not on anybody's side. The only side I will _always_ stay loyal to is my own."

"You still didn't answer my question." Rex said with an eyebrow raised dubiously, hiding the discomfort he felt from Victoria's speech. "Why are you still here?"

Victoria leaned closer to Rex as she answered, her dark green eyes penetrating his. "Because I want to know what makes you so _special_ ," she hissed at the bewildered clone. "I want to know how you managed to capture Rebecca Storm's attention all those years ago. Because, despite the fact that I've strayed from the path she taught me to stay on during these last years, I still respect her, and I want to know if _you're_ worth respecting, too."

Rex's brow crinkled as he thought on Victoria's words as she stood up and started to go back to work. "Even if that's true, you know that I still can't trust you." Rex called out to her. "Not after last night."

Victoria turned back to the old clone as she raised an eyebrow. "Did I say you had to, Captain? No, I didn't. And, furthermore, I never expected you to _ever_ enjoy my company, even at the beginning."

"Then why did I feel like you tried?" Rex challenged Victoria, feeling like he _had_ to know, but, again, not quite sure why. The connection he'd felt with Victoria that night when he grieved Rebecca...it couldn't have been a lie.

Victoria sighed quietly, turning to the side as she answered in a melancholy tone, speaking so lowly Rex wasn't sure if he'd heard correctly. "Maybe...maybe I'd hoped that I wasn't such a hopeless case. And maybe...I wanted you to like me." Rex raised his eyebrow in surprise, but before he could speak again, Victoria stiffened and her sad gaze hardened again as she turned fully away from the old clone, walking away again. "But now I know that's no longer possible for someone like _me_."

* * *

Kent growled in anger, punching a nearby wall as he walked down the underground corridor, which left a dent in it. But he didn't care. What he _did_ care about was the fact that his last attempt to expunge the rebels had failed. _Again_. He'd just received word from one of his spies that the young rebel he'd had darted with nightlocke poison was as healthy as could be, walking around free as a bird. And, what's more, those filthy rebels appeared to have no inclinations to leave their planet alone. It was time for more drastic measures.

"Sir!" Kent turned to one of his agents in the corridor as he heard his voice.

"What is it?" He asked gruffly, causing the agent to pale at the anger in Kent's voice.

"W-well," the agent began timidly, "we've just received word from our spies in the Capitol building that the Kalifan Court is just about ready to call the rebels back in for a meeting with them to discuss their ruling over the rebel proposition."

Kent humphed angrily at the thought of Kalifa working for that _scum_ , gritting his teeth angrily. He clenched his hand into a fist, but then, a new thought came to him. Smiling sadistically, he barked out an order to the agent. "When that transmission from the Court to the rebels comes out, intercept it! It's time to finish our plans, and give the Court what they _finally_ deserve for all the pain it's caused us."

* * *

 _Violet looked out the window of her old room, contemplating what she had desperately wished ever since she had returned home. The wish to kill her mother. Ever since she had first had the thought a week ago, the urge had kept coming back, each stronger than the last. It usually happened when she was around her mother, for the_ obvious _reason. But, when she was truly alone, which meant Spero wasn't talking to her, she wondered why she had those thoughts. She'd thought she'd been able to control her temper, but it seemed like that wasn't really the case, as it kept flaring whenever her mother was around. After counsel with Spero, she agreed with him, she really did. Skylar was only holding her back by being around, and it'd be better if her obsessively controlling mother wasn't around. This was the right thing to do. Violet was a magician of justice, after all._

 _But...if that was true, then why did she keep hesitating? Every time Violet had tried, something had held her back. What was it?_

 _"It's your attachment for your mother." Violet turned to see Spero standing behind her, his blue eyes warmly regarding her. "The reason you haven't been able to do what you need to do is because you're still attached to your mother._ That _is what has been holding you back, making you hesitate. It makes you_ weak _."_

 _Weak._ Weak _._

 _Violet didn't want to be weak anymore. She wanted to show her strength now. "What do I do, then?" She desperately asked her ghostly friend. "How do I stop myself from hesitating?"_

 _"Oh, that's easy." Spero chuckled heartily. "All you have to do to take that last step is to detach yourself. Imagine your mother as a complete stranger, someone you've never known before. Or, better yet, imagine her as someone you_ hate _. Perhaps the one who framed you to begin with?"_

 _Spero made sense. It_ would _be easier to imagine Skylar as someone else, just until it was all over. But still...Violet found herself hesitating._

 _"I don't know..." Violet said carefully. "It just...doesn't seem right."_

 _Spero narrowed his eyes, his voice becoming hard. "Then what is right, Violet? Letting your mother hold back others the way she's always done for you? Sure, she may not be like that_ now _, but she'll backslide eventually, and she'll try to control your sister and your friend, keep them from living their lives. Is that what you want? For her to ruin their lives like she tried to do to you? You can be complacent to her once again, Violet, or you can do something that will keep her from doing that._ Permanently _."_

 _Spero's words ran their way through Violet's mind, brushing away her doubts, making her feel more confident by the minute. Yes, she would do it. It was the right thing to do, if Spero said so. She was going to kill Skylar. Tonight. For Dakota and Rebecca, of course. "Alright, Spero. Should we get her with our sword?"_

 _Spero thought for a second, before shaking his head, a sly smile coming to his face. "No, I think this calls for a more ironic type of justice, Violet. Get her lightsaber. We strike tonight."_


	17. Deception

_A/N: Well, we're almost over with Part 2! I expect there'll be only a few more chapters or so, and then_ Remnants of the Storm _will officially be over (because, unofficially, I will have finished it some weeks before the last update, but will wait to publish it regularly)! Enjoy this next one!_

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Deception**

The next day, Alena and Victoria sat at the same table in the cantina, for once without an argument. After Alena's attempt to reconcile with Victoria the day before, things had been...different between the two girls. Victoria hadn't exactly gone up to Alena and said she also forgave her, but Alena could tell from the way the other girl acted that she had accepted it on some level, at least. For one thing, they hadn't fought once that day, which Alena was grateful for, but also embarrassed because of how long she'd held that grudge against Victoria. If only she hadn't been so stubborn and hurt. If only she'd faced her pain sooner.

But, it was no good to dwell on the past, something Alena had done for too long. All she could do was move forward with Victoria, and begin to rebuild a broken relationship. At the moment, the two girls weren't talking, just enjoying the peace and the break they had from work that day, as it was the anniversary of the day Kalifa was founded. Alena had a cup a hot caf in her hands, and Victoria had taken out a small... _book_ , with paper and everything, and she was drawing in it to pass the time. Curious, Alena stood up and walked around the table to Victoria's side, who tensed a little when the older girl came by. Looking over the younger girl's shoulder, Alena saw Victoria drawing...well, _her_. The drawing looked just like Alena, which was a change from the style of an artist like Sabine, who tended to exaggerate details in her portraits. But Victoria's was a perfect likeness.

"I didn't know you liked to draw," Alena said casually as she watched.

"It helps pass the time," Victoria said abruptly. "Besides, it's not like you really cared to know what I liked to do when I came back."

Alena flinched at the jab, but knew she deserved it, so she didn't really blame Victoria for still harboring some resentment. One day of reconciliation wasn't going to change someone right off the bat; that took time. They'd both just have to learn to be patient.

The quiet was suddenly interrupted by Alena's comlink going off, beeping insistently. With a sheepish smile at Victoria, Alena went off to a corner to answer it. "Hello?"

 _"Alena, this is Hera. We've gotten a transmission from the Court, and we'd like you to be here when we go to meet them. Can you make it?"_

"Uh...sure." Alena said, a little uncertain, as her decision to reconcile with and forgive Victoria had caused her relations with the rebels to become a little strained. "I can make it. I'll be there soon."

 _"Thank you. Hera out."_

Alena shut off her comm and turned back to Victoria, who was still drawing. "I'm sorry, Victoria, but I have to go meet...some friends." Even though she and Victoria were beginning to approach something resembling a friendship, she _was_ still one of the Saviors. There had to be a certain amount of restraint on what she chose to tell the younger girl, especially if she still didn't know quite where she stood regarding the rebels and Saviors.

To her credit, however, Victoria didn't get angry at not being given some details. Instead, she flipped her art book shut and casually stood up. "Well, I _was_ going to go off by myself into the forest today, so I can't get too mad at that, right?"

"Er...right." Alena said cautiously. "I guess I'll see you later, then."

Victoria nodded absently as Alena slipped her coat on and turned to leave, putting away her sketchpad and pulling out a datapad as the older girl left.

* * *

Ezra looked up as Alena stepped into the _Ghost_. He smiled at her, but it was tinged with tension. He still didn't like that Alena had decided to befriend Victoria again. Victoria had never done anything good to them, so why should they do anything good for her, after all? Nevertheless, Alena was their ticket to helping them navigate Kalifa. She'd known about the Saviors, and she'd known what to do with the poison. Even if Ezra believed that she was letting herself be compromised by her desire to befriend Victoria, the _Ghost_ crew still needed her.

"Hey, Ezra," Alena greeted with a sparkle in her brown eyes before it gave way to concern. "How are you feeling? Any more fatigue?"

"No, no," Ezra shook his head as answered. "I doubt I have any nightlocke still in my system; whatever you did really did the trick. I feel fine now."

"Well, one can never be too sure, especially since that was the first time I ever made that antidote." Alena pointed out cautiously. "Anyway, what's this Hera said about meeting the Court? Have they made a decision yet?"

"We think they have," Rex said as he came into the loading bay. "They want to meet with us tonight to let us know what it is, and we thought it'd be a good idea for you to be there, too, to show that at least one Kalifa trusts the rebels."

"Ah, so I'll be there to help them feel better about helping the rebels, if that's their decision." Alena said, nodding in agreement. "I hope it is their decision; Kalifa's been needing a purpose for a long time, one that a lot of people thought burned up with the Shadow Squadron."

Hera, Zeb, and Sabine entered the loading bay as well as Alena spoke. "Now that we're all here," Hera put in, ready to lead her crew, "we'd best figure out what we'll say to the Court, and how we'll convince them to join us if they decided against helping us."

Ezra noticed Alena raise her eyebrow as she spoke up quizzically to the captain. "Are you sure pushing the Court even if they've made the decision against helping us is the wisest course of action? I mean, if you push them too much, they may make their decision more final."

"What would you propose we do, then?" Sabine said with a challenge in her gaze. "Just accept it if they don't want to join us? We need as many people as possible to support this rebellion if the Empire will ever fall, Alena. We can't wait for them to join us on their own time if they don't want to this time."

"I get that, Sabine, but I really don't think pushing them if they're not sure about us is the best thing to do." Alena pointed out. "After all, if they join us, not because they actually wanted to, but because they were pressured into it, they'll never completely trust us. And we won't completely trust them, either. If they don't want to join the rebellion, that's their decision. The least we can do is respect it."

Hera nodded with Alena, even though Ezra didn't like what they were agreeing to. After all, a war was going on. People needed to decide if they would support the Empire or the rebellion, and not just try to sit on the fence, so to speak. "You're right, Alena," Hera said. "If we force this planet into something they're not sure about, we're no better than the Empire. We'll just have to be patient. And I'm sure there are other planets that would support this rebellion, too, if they were given the chance."

"Oh, all right," Ezra reluctantly conceded, though he still wasn't completely agreed with the rebels' Plan B. But it was clear the others' minds weren't to be changed about it yet. They'd just have to wait and see what would happen.

* * *

As the sun set and the sky turned a dark midnight blue, the rebels made their way through the Capital City to the Court building. Alena was positively giddy with excitement as they walked through the square. If the Court allowed Kalifa to join the rebellion, it would benefit both parties. The rebels would be able to use the planet as a resource, and the people would be able to work for a worthy cause that would one day bring down the tyrannical Empire. And, hopefully, the rebels would also see fit to help rid Kalifa of the Saviors, too.

For the first time in five years, Alena had a feeling things would work out for the better for Kalifa for once.

As the Capitol building came in sight, Ezra looked around cautiously. The reason for his increased trepidation was unknown to Alena, confusing the teenaged girl. Why was Ezra looking like he expected an ambush? As they reached the building, Alena finally asked.

"Ezra, is something wrong?"

Ezra looked to Alena and the other rebels, worry in his vibrant blue eyes. "I'm not sure. I just feel like...something's not right."

Alena pressed her lips into a thin line. If Ezra was getting a warning through the Force, then it would be wise to take it into consideration.

"Whatever it is, Ezra, I'm sure it can wait," Hera said, her attention clearly on getting to the Court. "We can't miss this meeting with the Court."

Though Alena didn't think it was wise to ignore a Force warning, she didn't quite know what to do about it. Reluctantly, she followed the rest of the rebels as they entered the Capitol. She'd never been at the building when it was nighttime, and, to be honest, the result was a little...eerie. Most of the lights were off, save for a burning trail going down a single hallway, and the resulting shadows around the crew made Alena feel like they were actually people, waiting for something sinister to happen.

Hera beckoned for the others to follow her as she went down the lit hallway. Despite her feelings to the contrary, Alena cautiously followed, now knowing how Ezra felt as he, too, still had a trepidatious expression on his face. Alena shared a look with Ezra, and knew he felt the same thing she did as they walked into a large, darkened room.

Shadows.

As though thinking the word had made it real, several people suddenly came out of several hiding places in the room, practically melting from the walls, and opened fire with their blasters.

Caught off guard, the rebels immediately fired back with the exception of Ezra, who began deflecting shots with his lightsaber back at the perpetrators and using the Force to fling their weapons out of their hands. Alena could do nothing but quickly dodge the shots, as she hadn't even thought to bring her own blaster, but Rex was brought to her attention as he threw her one of his pistols with quick, "Here!"

Alena caught the pistol and began to fire back at their unknown opponents, but one of them jumped down from a pile of crates behind her, and she quickly whirled around, hurriedly catching the fist the man threw at her and twisting his arm away from her. Not to be deterred, the man threw a kick at her legs, attempting to sweep her off her feet, but Alena jumped away and threw her own punch at the man's stomach. Unfortunately, he also dodged the hit, growling at her darkly before lunging forward unexpectedly and tackling her. Alena tried to get out from under him, but the man pinned her down, placing one strong hand right below her neck, and using his legs to keep her own from moving. As Alena struggled, the man holding her down brought up one of his hands above her head and barely touched her forehead.

Then all Alena could see, hear, and touch was darkness.

* * *

Alena groaned as she slowly opened her eyes, her sight slowly clearing. As it did, she realized that she was now handcuffed, and one of the perpetrators was pointing his blaster at her. The teenaged girl quickly sat up and took in her surroundings. They were still in the same room, but now all of the rebels had been disarmed and cuffed, with an armed guard in front of each of them. As each rebel stirred, the man who had knocked out Alena strode up to them with dark eyes and a sly smile on his face. He looked to be in his twenties with pale blonde hair, and he was clearly the leader of these people. Stopping in front of the rebels, he silently regarded them with his smile.

Finally, after a few moments of silence, Zeb spoke up. "Who are you supposed to be?"

The man's smile grew smugger at the question, his eyes glittering dangerously. "Oh, you haven't guessed yet? I'm disappointed; one would think you would know who your opponent is. Me."

Alena blinked as she took in that statement. "You? You're the leader of the Saviors? You did all this?"

The leader of the Saviors narrowed his eyes as he turned to Alena. "Of course, _Alena_. I have to, in order to keep these filthy _rebels_ from sinking their claws into my people. However, the Court just can't see that. So I'll just have to do away with them after this."

"What are you going to do?" Ezra challenged as he tried to struggle, stilling as the guards hefted their weapons up threateningly.

The man sneered at the teenager as he answered, voice smooth as dark silk. "Why, overthrow the Court, of course. Then I'll have the people elect someone worthy of the leadership, who won't betray us like you _rebels_ will. And like Shadow Squadron did."

"What?" Alena said, scrunching her eyebrows together. "Shadow Squadron never did anything bad. That was all the Empire, mister."

"Which would never have happened if it weren't for the Empire, girl!" The leader cried, eyes glowing with anger. "You should know! You, of all people, ought to know the price of being a rebel. Your planet becomes the collateral damage. And you, the pupil of Rebecca Storm, are _helping_ them to do it again!"

"H-how do you know who I am?" Alena stuttered nervously.

The man growled as he answered. "Because _I_ was one of Ms. Storm's students, too. Kent Daladob. Did you honestly think you and Victoria were the only ones she trained for magic? And look at how you're honoring her. By aligning with the very thing that got her killed!"

"Being a rebel wasn't what got her killed, Kent!" Alena shot back. "It was all the Empire. The _Empire_ is what you need to blame. Not the rebels."

"It wasn't _just_ the fact that she was a rebel, Alena," Kent said dangerously. "The Court was put into place to protect _my_ people, but what did they do when the Empire came? _Nothing_. They denied they'd ever helped the rebels, and just sat back and watched their people burn like they meant _nothing_. I won't let the Court make the same mistake twice. I'll kill them first."

"You...you _wouldn't_ ," Alena said disbelievingly. "The people will rise up against you if you do that. We both know you don't have enough followers on the planet to support this."

"Maybe," Kent said nonchalantly, increasing Alena's suspicion that he was planning something. She was soon proven right. "But they're not going to find out, because I have a group of scapegoats to take the fall for the Saviors. You and your _rebels_. At first, I loathed those _rebel_ _scum_. I wanted them to leave Kalifa. But then, I had an idea. I would use you people to my advantage. Because, you see, when the people of Kalifa in the capital city come to see their Court, they will find them _dead_. And among those bodies, they will also find _you_. And because they need someone to blame, they will choose _you_. And, after they kill you for what _you_ did to their precious Court, they will need a new group to function as their leaders. And that is where I and my Saviors come in. We will take that position, and we will _finally_ be what Kalifa needs."

"No!" Ezra said, attempting to lunge forward before he was caught by a guard, who hit him on the head with the butt of his blaster. "You can't do that!"

"Oh, but I can, little _Jedi_ ," Kent said placatingly as he regarded Ezra before turning to the door. "In fact, it's already set in motion. And none of you can do anything about it."

* * *

Victoria walked up to her room in the attic of the cantina, pushing open her door purposefully as she strode over to a particular floorboard and pried it up, revealing what Alena and the rebels had failed to discover. She flicked her dark ponytail over her shoulder as she carefully pulled up the box that had stayed hidden since she returned to Kalifa.

Opening the box, she revealed an assortment of contents within it. A few of those old journals, with bound covers and paper, a holoprojector, and...

Victoria carefully took out what she had sworn to never touch again, its rectangular shape fitting perfectly in her palm.

...her lightsaber. Victoria carefully flicked the dusty switch, and a golden blade emitted from the hilt, its shape flat and tapered, like an old metal sword.

Much as she hoped she wouldn't have to use this, she knew she would if it came to that. And she refused to let what she'd discovered in her hunt go unpunished. She had always fought to get what she wanted, and she would always would. It's who she was, after all.

And nothing would ever change that.

* * *

 _"Violet? Can you come out here for a moment, please?" Violet jumped at her mother's voice from outside, and quickly pocketed the lightsaber she'd managed to find in Skylar's room. It had been literally just sitting out in the open on her dresser, waiting for anyone to come and steal it. Clearly, Skylar had never had an assassination attempt or a burglary to deal with before._

 _"Just a minute! I'm coming!" Violet called as she hurried out of Skylar's room. It would raise the veteran magician's suspicions if she knew her daughter had been in her room to take her lightsaber. And she needed to keep the element of surprise if she was going to pull this off. Violet wasn't stupid, after all. She knew that her mother was one of the most powerful magicians ever, even though she rarely used her abilities anymore. But she would still be a dangerous opponent._

 _Coming out to the back porch of the house, Violet was greeted by Skylar looking out to the forest beyond, leaning on the rail as her long, white-blonde hair blew with the slight breeze. Not knowing what else to do, Violet mimicked the older magician, leaning on the rail, too, as she also squinted a little at the brightness of the other woman's aura. For a few minutes, neither human spoke. Violet wondered if she should kill Skylar now, but just as she was reaching into her pocket, the blonde woman spoke. "Isn't this beautiful, honey?"_

 _Taking another look at the dark forest in front of her, coupled with the wonderfully starry night, Violet had to agree that, yes, it was indeed beautiful. But she quickly pushed that thought away. She had more important things to think about. Namely, killing Skylar Storm. She started to reach for the lightsaber again, but was interrupted again by Skylar's voice as she turned to her, a sad expression on her face. "Violet, the reason I wanted to talk to you out here is because...I wanted to apologize."_

 _Apologize? That word startled Violet so much, she momentarily forgot about her plot. "What for?" Violet asked incredulously._

 _"Well, for a lot of things." Skylar began. "For making you feel like I was keeping you from your future. Remember the fight we had before you left for the capital?" At her daughter's nod, the old magician continued. "Well, you don't know the real reason why I was so insistent you stay here. Do you remember your father, Violet?"_

 _Violet blinked in surprise. Her...father? How could she when he died before she could remember? And yet...as Violet concentrated, she realized that she_ did _remember. Or at least, one very fuzzy memory. A man, with a face that was horribly scarred, looking up at her as he was tied down to several large animals. But that's about it. Or at least, that's all she_ wants _to remember._

 _"Barely," Violet said dismissively. "Just one very fuzzy memory, and that's about all."_

 _"Well, I shouldn't expect you to have a strong memory of him," Skylar said kindly. "After all, you were only two years old when he...died."_

 _"Why did you ask, then?" Violet asked curiously._

 _"Because..." Skylar faltered for a moment, then regained her voice again. "...because I never told you about the man who had him killed. Not really."_

 _"Well, the details of what you've told_ are _quite sparse," Violet said snidely, feeling her temper start to take over. "After all,_ a bad magician killed your dad _,_ the end _? That's all you could come up with to tame my desire to know? I always knew you were hiding something when you said that."_

 _Skylar sighed as she spoke again. "Yes, well, the reason I always skimmed over the details was because...it was too painful for me to go into real detail about it. And...your father's death is why I was always so clingy to you over the years. I was so afraid that something would happen to you, and I wasn't sure I could stand to lose either of my children. I thought I was protecting you from harm back then, but now I know that I was only protecting myself. And you suffered from my coddling because of my fear. For that, I'm sorry."_

 _"So...then why aren't you like that anymore?" Violet asked pointedly as she reached into her pocket, feeling for the lightsaber._

 _"Because you left." Skylar said simply. "When you did that, without my permission, I realized something that I've been pushing away for too long. I needed to stop trying to control your and Rebecca's lives so much, and just trust that you two are able to take care of yourselves. I need to let you make your own decisions about things. And, to be clear, bad things will happen no matter_ where _we are or what I do, because that's life. So," Skylar chuckled lightly, "I should probably be thanking you. You helped me open my eyes to what I was doing, even if you weren't aware of it."_

 _Violet narrowed her eyes as she crossed her arms across her chest. Oh,_ now _Skylar was sorry?_ Now _she was apologizing after all the grief Violet had been through in the capital? "What happened to my father, then?"_

 _Skylar sighed for a moment before starting. Throughout the whole story, Violet felt rage coursing through her veins. Anger at how long Skylar had kept this from her coupled with the need to retaliate, fight back, bring about justice on this woman for keeping her oldest daughter in the dark for so long_ _. When Skylar finished, silence permeated the space between for several moments. Violet grit her teeth and grasped the lightsaber in her pocket. Finally, she spoke._

 _"Why are you telling me this..._ Mom _?" Violet growled out finally._

 _"Because I wanted my daughter to understand our history, and I know that I need to stop hiding things from you that you need to know." Skylar smiled kindly at Violet, but all her daughter was able to see was red as one thought went through her mind over and over again in Spero's adamant voice._

Kill her. _Kill_ her. _Kill her!_

 _With a snarl on her face, Violet pulled Skylar's lightsaber out of her pocket and ignited it. Before Skylar could do more than raise her eyebrows in surprise, Violet had stabbed her mother through with the thrumming white blade. "Don't talk to me like you know me," Violet spat out as she pulled out the blade, and Skylar fell against the rail. "You_ never _knew me, witch!"_

 _Skylar coughed for a moment, one hand going to the wound on her chest, and then, as she looked disbelievingly at Violet, recognition crossed her face as she struggled back up. "So, you found a way to live on, Spero."_

 _"Yes, I did." Spero materialized next to Violet as he placed a hand on her shoulder possessively. "And now, your children will be_ mine _."_

 _"Don't be so sure about that," Skylar said weakly as she fell to her knees. "Rebecca...isn't as weak...as she seems."_

 _Spero laughed condescendingly at that, and Violet narrowed her eyes at Skylar's arrogance. "Oh, please! If I can turn_ this _one, I can turn that one. Besides, she'll never know that her sister did the deed. That is something that can be easily covered up. Face it, Skylar Storm. Your family is_ finished _."_

 _Spero continued laughing as the light went out of Skylar's eyes, and her body fell to the ground. Violet growled as Spero dissipated into thin air, her anger taking over. Even though she'd taken care of_ Skylar _, she still wasn't happy. She didn't feel at peace. And she didn't like it._

 _Suddenly, a floorboard creaked behind her, and Violet flew around, brandishing her mother's lightsaber, to be faced with a big surprise._

 _Rebecca Storm was standing there with her eyes and mouth wide open as she stared at the scene before her. She had seen the whole thing._

* * *

 _A/N: Please leave a comment about what you think about this chapter, and see you in another two weeks!_


	18. Complications

_Well, I'm back again with another chapter, and thank you Jedi Master Seth Skywalker for following/favoriting my story!_

* * *

 **Chapter 17: Complications**

Kent briskly walked down the hallway of the Capitol building, growing more confident with every step. He could almost _taste_ his impending victory. Soon, it would all be over. The Court and the rebels would be destroyed, and the Saviors would have rightful command of Kalifa and its people. _Finally._

It was with this attitude that Kent Daladob had as he threw open the doors to the Kalifan Court's meeting room with the Force, already smiling in anticipation of what was to come next, only to stop short at what he saw inside.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The room was completely empty, save for the Court's high table and chairs, but that was all. The Court members were not there.

 _What?_

"Sir?" One of Kent's underlings asked cautiously, no doubt seeing his leader's eager face giving way to anger at his miscalculation. "I thought you said the Court would be here tonight."

Kent angrily grit his teeth together as he turned, growling at his minion, "They _are_. But they...they must be somewhere else in the Capitol building. They wouldn't miss the meeting they set up with those filthy _rebels_." As Kent pushed past his minion, he barked orders into his comlink, which was linked with every one of his worker's comms. "Lock down this area! _Nothing_ gets out! Do you hear me?! Absolutely _nothing_!"

With those shrieked words, the leader of the Saviors stalked out of the room, intent on finding those Court members and dragging them from wherever they were hiding. However, as Kent went from room to room in the building, it was quite clear that each and every room in the building was completely empty of people, let alone Court members. With every empty room, the man's temper flared and anger flowed through his veins, until his walk had become a desperate sprint from room to room as he wildly searched the Capitol building, only for his frantic efforts to be in vain.

With a cry of frustration, Kent ran to the courtyard of the Capitol as a last resort. They just _had_ to be there. They _had_ to be.

Unfortunately, he was met with horrid disappointment. The courtyard was empty, with no sign of anybody. Kent clenched his jaw angrily, seeing red. _No._ They couldn't be...gone. They _had_ to be here. They _had_ to! That meeting with the rebels they'd set up...they couldn't have missed it! He _needed_ them if his coup was going to work, if his Saviors were to control the planet.

 _Where were they?!_

"Calm down, Kent Daladob; insanity never did look good on you." Kent whipped around with a dark expression shadowing his face to the voice that had called to him. As the wind began to whip around him, he saw a figure coming towards him that looked as though she belonged with the shadows, which seemed to cling to her like a second skin. One of the moons finally shone down on the courtyard, giving Kent a good look of who he was dealing with.

"Victoria," Kent growled angrily with a sneer as he regarded the teenaged Human with a dark, determined look on her face. "What are you doing here? How did you get past my soldiers? Nevermind that, I have some Court members to find. They must be hiding in a secret passageway in the Capitol! Come on!" Kent began to run back into the Capitol past Victoria, but he suddenly found a strange thing happening to him. Instead of getting closer to the building, he found himself getting further away, as though he was being pulled back by something. Or some _one_.

Looking back at his spy, he saw that one of her gloved hands was raised in the air, and he instinctively knew that Victoria was using the Force to stop him. But why? Why would his loyal spy want to stop him? She hated the Court _and_ the rebels; she'd benefit from this arrangement as much as he would.

"Victoria," Kent growled, attempting to inject fear into his servant, "what are you _doing_? You know you want this as much as I do, if not more. After all, you lost much more than I ever did that fateful day all those years ago. And you _know_ the Court is to blame for much of that heartache."

Victoria glared her dark green eyes at her employer as she coolly answered in a way that sent an uncertain chill down Kent's spine. "Actually, I never _specifically_ said that, Kent Daladob. You just heard what you wanted to hear. And _that_ was your biggest mistake."

"What mistake?" Kent said with angry disbelief, not used to people not following his orders as soon as they came. "And put me down!"

"Your mistake was _underestimation_ ," Victoria said acidly as she allowed Kent to be set on the ground, who narrowed his eyes at what appeared to be an insubordination in the making. "After all, here you are," she continued as she circled Kent threateningly, the strong wind whipping her dark ponytail and cloak haphazardly, "thinking you're so _special_ , that _you're_ such a powerful magician whom no one can ever stand against because of how your sorry excuse for a father raised you to believe that you'll always be _better_ than anyone else, how... _above_ you are over them, how you _deserve_ this so-called _honor_. And _that_ is where you're _weak_." She finally spat out. "You never even thought to prepare for this inevitability, did you?"

"Prepare for _what_?" Kent growled out, having had enough of Victoria's riddles. His hand began to go for his concealed weapon as Victoria answered. This was definitely _not_ part of the plan.

"Why, for the moment when someone would finally decide to betray you," Victoria said casually, even as she sneered at him. "And it's all because of your own choices that have caused this."

"What do you mean?" Kent snarled at the new traitor. He should have taken his father's advice and gotten rid of her when he had the chance. But no, he thought that she would be too useful to do that. And also...because of what he now knew was a weakness for his past memories. Because...when she had come, he had wanted to help her because he thought of her as a friend. Now he knew how wrong he had been.

"When I first came to you, you told me your _Saviors_ would revitalize and bring back the Kalifa that most have thought burned to the ground when the Empire came! Well, guess what? You _lied_!" Victoria cried, eyes flaring angrily as she yelled. "You said you'd replace the Court with a government the _right_ way! But executing them without so much as a _trial_ is definitely _not_ right!"

"Well, what did you expect?" Kent said with narrowed eyes. "Did you _honestly_ think that I'd let them go scot-free? No, they need to be punished for _abandoning_ us to the Empire and hiding like _cowards_ , and I'm going to make sure they pay for their crimes as soon as I find them here!"

"Yeah, well, you're going to have quite a problem on your hands, then," Victoria quipped as Kent began to turn to the Capitol again. Sighing heavily in annoyance, the man turned back to Victoria. "The Court members are _not_ here."

"What do you mean?" Kent said suspiciously. What was Victoria playing at? "Of course they're here! They wouldn't dare miss their meeting with those rebels! Their transmission was very specific about when they were meeting!"

"Unless, of course, the transmission was false, and it was a trap to lure us all to the Capitol building during a time when there would be no witnesses." Victoria said smugly. "And I say 'trap' because, at this very moment, the Kalifan police are coming in response to an anonymous tip about terrorists at the Capitol building."

" _What_?" Kent said, unable to believe that for a second. " _You_ sent the transmission _and_ you alerted the police? You _stupid_ girl! How could you?!"

"I never said that _I_ did that," Victoria said with narrowed green eyes. "However, I did a little digging of my own, and I found out who did. I believe you called him, and I quote, 'our biggest supporter.'"

"No." Kent whispered as he realized who Victoria was implying, his face turning pale. "No, he wouldn't. He couldn't! He came to me about creating the Saviors! He helped me set all this up! He's supported us for years!"

"Looks like your father definitely lives up to his name, though," Victoria said calmly. "He's always been a scaly creature, after all. And you have no _idea_ all that he's done in his life. If I told you, you'd hate him forever."

"NO!" Kent cried, unable to process it except as a lie. Yes, that's what it was. _Lies_. All of it. He never should have trusted Victoria. "It's all _lies_! And I've had enough of them _and_ you!" He pulled out his concealed weapon as he spoke, igniting it to reveal a lightsaber with flat, tapered blade that glowed darkly. "It's time for _you_ to pay for your treachery!"

With those words, he lunged forward, swiping his lightsaber down at the younger girl savagely, only to be stopped by Victoria's own golden lightsaber blade meeting his own. The opposing energies of the two lightsabers caused electric shocks to pulse out of both as they met. One electric shock flew above the two Humans, striking a nearby lamppost and shattering its light. Their weapons locked together for a few moments in a bid for strength before Kent growled and swept his lightsaber away from the lock as he darted out of Victoria's reach with her weapon before going back in, trying to keep the other magician off guard long enough for him to gain the upper hand.

However, he had no such luck. With every swipe of Kent's lightsaber, Victoria's was able to expertly meet his with a crackle of electric pulses that kept hitting the areas around them. And with each of Victoria's parries and dodges, Kent grew angrier at how he wasn't able to deal with this threat quickly enough. He _had_ to get to the Court.

As Kent got angrier, he was pleased to see that his anger only served to fuel his strength, forcing Victoria to begin backing away from his attacks. Pressing his advantage, Kent swept his lightsaber horizontally at Victoria's lightsaber, forcing her weapon out of her hand, which landed several yards away.

"Give it up, Victoria!" Kent said confidently as he lunged at the then weaponless Victoria. "You're out of practice, and I've only gotten stronger. You can't win!"

"I beg to differ, Kent," Victoria said calmly even as her green eyes flashed darkly, dodging his next attack. Suddenly grabbing his hand holding his lightsaber, Victoria bent the man's arm back painfully until Kent was forced to reluctantly drop his lightsaber. "Your underestimation of everyone else and your _over_ estimation of yourself will be your downfall."

Kent pulled himself out of Victoria's grip, growling angrily. "You're wrong! You'll see how much more _powerful_ I've become in these years, Victoria." Smirking darkly, he chose to forego reclaiming his lightsaber. Real magicians didn't need weapons. Real magicians _were_ weapons.

* * *

Ezra tested the cuffs that were holding him captive, trying to see if there were any weaknesses that he could use to break out of them. Unfortunately, he didn't have much luck. Despite the Saviors being the rebels' enemies, he had to give them credit for crafting strong handcuffs. He just didn't like that they were on _him_.

At Ezra's movement, his guard straightened up from a bored slouch and trained his blaster at the teenager, as did the other rebels' guards, ready for an unexpected ambush. Ezra supposed he could use the Force to get out of the cuffs and away from his guard, but that still left the other rebels vulnerable to the other guards. Even Ezra had to admit that a plan like that would only end up with at least one of his friends getting killed in the process. No matter what he had to do, he'd make sure that _never_ happened.

Not for the first time since their capture, Ezra wished that he had taken the time to converse and train with the Sith holocron before going to the Capitol. He'd sensed that there would be some kind of trouble; he just hadn't known what or how. Sometimes, he _really_ hated how vague the Force could be. Nevertheless, he still wished he'd learned something new with the holocron beforehand. It sure would be handy to be able to use the Force on _all_ the guards' minds at once. Unfortunately, Ezra hadn't gotten that far in his training yet; he could only influence one mind at a time. _Maybe_ he could do two if he really concentrated, but that would take time.

And time wasn't something the rebels had a lot of.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ezra saw Alena stay in the same position she'd been in since the leader of the Saviors had left them: she was sitting cross-legged on the ground, her back straight and her eyes closed. A calm expression graced her features despite the dire situation she was in. It was like she wasn't even noticing her surroundings. The young Jedi wondered what Alena hoped to accomplish by doing this.

After all, he'd seen her forlorn face when the Saviors' leader had left them with his guards; she'd looked devastated. For a few moments, that is. Then her head had come up with a hopeful, determined expression shining on her face, and she had adopted the position she was still in.

Ezra wasn't quite sure _what_ she was doing, but it was clear she thought it was important. Whatever it was.

Ezra just hoped she'd do it faster.

Suddenly, as though his thoughts had triggered it, Ezra felt...something pulse out of Alena. It was like the Force, but at the same time, it wasn't. Whatever it was, it suddenly caused all the guards in the room to immediately drop unconscious, and the rebels' handcuffs clicked open at the same time.

Ezra was astonished, his blue eyes open wide. That had to have been magic, and it felt like the most powerful thing Ezra had ever sensed. Maybe that was over exaggerating a bit, but he knew more than ever that magic was incredibly powerful if it could do something like that to numerous individuals at once. And Ezra knew he had to learn it to help the rebellion and his friends.

The young Jedi turned to congratulate Alena, but his high spirits dropped as he saw the apparent result using magic had had on Alena. Her light-colored skin had become very pale, almost white, in fact, and she sagged with what appeared to be sudden exhaustion.

"Are you okay, Alena?" Ezra asked with concern in his eyes.

Looking to the younger boy, Alena slowly nodded as she straightened up, attempting to inject some energy into her body. "I'm alright; it's just...been awhile since I've had to do anything like that. I'll get used to it the more I use magic." Despite her reassurances, Ezra still didn't like how sick Alena looked. But he didn't see how he could stop her from helping them. "Come on, we have to find the Court before the Saviors do." She interrupted Ezra's thoughts with her words as she started out of the room, deeper into the recesses of the Capitol.

* * *

 _"Violet?" Rebecca's voice quivered as she looked at her older sister with horror, her aura going from white to a draining black. Violet didn't like that look; it made her teeth grate. But on the bright side, she didn't have to wince at her sister's aura light; it was dark instead of light, after all. And darkness didn't hurt her eyes._

 _Violet was pulled out of her thoughts by her younger sister's voice again. "What have you_ done _?!" Rebecca cried loudly as tears gathered in her dark purple eyes, trickling down her face. "_ Why _did you do this?!" Violet watched as her younger sister bolted to their mother's side, cradling the body in her arms. Violet could almost vomit at the disgusting amount of emotion her sister displayed._

 _"Because she has done_ nothing _except hold me back. Hold_ us _back." Violet coldly explained as she narrowed her eyes. "We're much better off without her. Now, come on." The older magician held her hand out to Rebecca. "We need to leave this place_ now _, to get to a safe place. You can trust me."_

 _Rebecca looked up at Violet with a horrified face that gave way to anger, fitting with her darkened aura. "Do you_ seriously _think I'm going to go with you after what you've done?!" She cried angrily, even as tears continued dripping down her face. "You killed our mother!"_

 _"I_ killed _our weakness," Violet corrected. "And I did it for you just as much as it was for me. She's done nothing but keep us from reaching our full potentials as magicians. Now that she's gone, we can_ finally _leave our mark on this system. She deserved every bit of what I gave her, Rebecca. You'd do well to listen to your big sister. Or face the consequences."_

 _"N-no, I won't," Rebecca said, surprising Violet. She'd just destroyed the thing holding her sister back; why couldn't she see that?_

She's been brainwashed by Skylar _, Spero's voice spoke in Violet's ear._ She can't see reason. And since she can't, if she refuses to see the good you've done, then you're better off without her.

 _Yes...that did make sense to Violet as she regarded her tearful sister, who was carefully holding the very lightsaber that had taken her mother's life. She was_ weak _, too manipulated by their mother to join Violet. Anger thrummed through the older girl's veins at that thought, and she summoned Spero's blade to her side. Her sister...her enemy now. It made Violet cringe at the thought of her beloved sister her opponent. But she saw no other way._

 _Even as she thought that, a simple, soft voice from deep inside her spoke,_ Perhaps there is, but you don't want to look for it _. But she quickly squashed that thought in her mind. No, that wasn't right. It_ couldn't _be right. Because that would mean Violet was wrong, and she refused to be wrong. Spero said so, and that meant it must be true._

 _"Fine," Violet growled as she grew angrier, causing Rebecca to look up at her older sister in surprise. "But that makes you the_ enemy _, dear sister. And you will not jeopardize my other plans." Hefting her sword in her hand, Violet swung it at Rebecca, who barely managed to dodge it, taken off guard by her grief and the suddenness of the attack._

 _Before Rebecca could counterattack, Violet used the Force and threw her sister into a nearby building, then used her fire powers to blast the building Rebecca was in. But that wasn't enough to satisfy Violet's blood lust as she was filled with a sudden desire to destroy everything and everyone around her. Turning to a house, Violet proceeded to set it on fire, making sure to target the doors and windows so no one could get out. Then she blasted another building. And another. And another, until all the buildings she could see were burning to the ground. But, there still seemed to be something missing. Something like..._

 _"Stop!" Violet turned to see a slightly charred Rebecca lunge forward with her mother's silver blade thrumming through the air. Snarling, Violet quickly struck with her own sword, and the strength of that attack caused her younger sister to fall to the ground, caught off balance. Before she could get up again, Violet fought back with the Force, throwing Rebecca into several buildings, though they continued to burn around her._

 _After she was thrown into the last building, Rebecca didn't get up again, apparently too weak to try to fight some more. How pathetic. Violet stood over her sister among the flames, hefting her sword into the air again, ready to slash down. However, she hesitated. But only for a moment. She wasn't_ weak _. She refused to be._

 _As she swung the sword, however, there was a sudden blur of movement that stopped in front of Violet, causing her to pause in her attack. The one who stood between Violet and her destiny was Dakota Farthing, whose golden aura made Violet squint and want to look away from its painful light. The blonde teenager stood determinedly between the two, her arms out at the sides, effectively blocking Violet from getting to her goal._

 _"Get out of the way, Dakota," Violet growled at the other girl. How dare she try to stop her? "This isn't your fight!"_

 _"You're wrong, Violet," Dakota shot back. The strength in Dakota's tone surprised Violet. The last time she'd seen her, Dakota had been pretty cautious and timid, choosing not to take part in fights. She'd basically sworn off it after what had happened to her family. "This_ is _my fight, even if I wish it weren't mine. And I refuse to let you make another mistake that you will surely regret later."_

 _"You don't know me anymore!" Violet sneered at Dakota as she hefted her sword again. "And you're_ not _going to stop me."_

 _Bringing down the sword once again angrily, Violet tried to be quick, but she wasn't quick enough for Dakota. Quick as a whip, Dakota knocked the sword out of Violet's hands and swept her feet out from under the older girl, who went down with a crash. The last thing she remembered before the darkness took her vision was Dakota standing over her, a sorrowful look on her face as she touched the brunette magician's forehead._

 _When she came to, Violet realized two things. One, the village had burned completely to the ground, leaving nothing but large piles of ash in its wake. And two, Violet's opponents were gone. Looking around furiously, Violet was eventually forced to admit that they had escaped._

 _Even as she screamed in frustration, however, Spero's voice was still saying,_ You did well, my little pyra. You did well.

* * *

 _A/N: As I've said before, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please leave a comment about what you think about it. Happy Valentine's Day!_


	19. The First Crux

_A/N: Well, this chapter not only signifies one of the cruxes of the climax, it also is the end of the flashback story of Violet Storm. I admit, I have been disappointed with how nobody has commented about it, but I can understand how it would get old, since we know how that story ends, whereas nobody but me knows how the present-day story will end. Enjoy!_

* * *

 **Chapter 18: The First Crux**

The rebels ran through the halls, trying to find the Kalifan Court members, but to no avail. The only people they saw were the Saviors, who frequently tried to stop them at nearly every turn, it seemed. Thankfully, the rebels were able to defeat each Savior they ran into, but they couldn't keep doing this forever.

"Look out!" Zeb warned the others as another group of Saviors suddenly revealed themselves, engaging in a firefight in the hallway they were in. Rex ducked down behind a nearby pillar as the blaster fire came, which he barely dodged before the pillar. The aged clone shot back with his blaster pistols, and the other rebels followed his lead with their weapons, which they had taken back from their unconscious captors. This group had the largest number of Saviors to contend with yet, and Rex hoped that the rebels' ammo wouldn't run out before they were able to defeat their enemies. Rex let a few other shots loose at the Saviors, which took down a few, but there were still many others to take out. As the captain watched, Ezra leaped out from behind his own pillar and ignited his lightsaber, the green blade thrumming as he rapidly deflected the shots back at their opponents, a expression of dark concentration on his face. One by one, the Saviors were hit with their own bolts and dropped to the floor. When the last one had dropped, Ezra turned back to the other rebels, the glow of his lightsaber turning his face an eerie green.

"Come on," Ezra said as he jerked his head toward the remainder of the hall. "We need to keep moving and find the Court."

Hera nodded in agreement. "The fact that there was such a large number of Saviors here could mean we're getting close to them."

"Or Kent." Alena tiredly pointed out as she sagged against the side of the hallway's wall. "I doubt someone like him would keep himself far from the protection of the majority of his followers. We need to be more careful if that's the case."

Rex pressed his lips thinly together at the mention of who Alena had brought up as the rebels cautiously continued down the hallway to where the Court hopefully was. That man...Rex had never encountered anyone like him before.

Someone who could effortlessly knock out them with just a flick of his wrist _scared_ Rex. And this was coming from a man who wasn't afraid of a lot of things. But the thought of facing the leader of the Saviors again unsettled Rex.

As the rebels continued down the hallway, Rex looked back to Alena, who was bringing up the rear of the group. Despite her attempts to reassure them otherwise, Rex knew Alena wasn't fit for battle if they had to fight again. She was clearly in no condition to use a weapon on the Saviors, and her continuously slow, staggering pace greatly concerned the old clone.

Dropping back to the rear of the rebels, Rex cautiously spoke to Alena. "Are you _sure_ you're all right, Alena? You don't look so well."

"For the last time, Rex, I'm _fine_." Alena said exasperatedly. "This will pass; I just need to use magic more frequently and get used to the strain. Every magician goes through it before they're able to build themselves up."

"But it's not just that," Rex said insistently. "You don't have your own weapon, for one thing. How are you going to be able to fight back if one of us can't give you one of our weapons in time? Especially if you're this drained right now."

"I-I'll manage," Alena said, attempting to say it convincingly, but failing. "If worst comes to worst, I'll just have to use magic again."

"While you're like this, though?" Rex said with concern. "Look how your body reacted after using magic on the Saviors _once_. How are you going to take having to do it again without collapsing or...worse." Rex didn't want to think about what else could happen to her, especially since she was the only Kalifan who appeared to have a good connection to Rebecca. He didn't want to lose that link to her, and he also didn't want to lose Alena. He didn't know how he could live with himself if he let someone unfit for battle fight. Especially if her condition led to her downfall.

"I can do this, though!" Alena said, a desperate shine in her eyes. "I _want_ to help you, help make a difference for Kalifa. I've wasted too many years trying to bury things that won't, that _can't_ , stay dead. I need to learn from the past, and make better decisions because of it."

Alena went on ahead of Rex defiantly at that, who could see that, even though the girl was trying to make a brave face, she was still to weak to participate in battle. The fact that she wouldn't accept that tore at Rex. He didn't want to force her to stop, and they had to focus on finding the Court.

But he still made a mental reminder to keep an eye on Alena from now on.

Eventually, the rebels came to a place in the building where the hallway diverged off into two paths riddled with shadows. For a few moments, the rebels paused, unsure of where to go. Then, as Rex watched, Ezra stepped forward and closed his eyes. Apparently, the young Jedi was feeling to see if the Force would guide them to a hallway. Rex noticed Alena doing the same thing beside him. After a few seconds, Ezra opened his eyes and confidently pointed to the hallway on the right.

"We should go this way," the boy said to the others as he began to step forward. For a split second, Rex looked to Alena to see if she was alright, only to be met with a panicked look on the girl's face. Then, even with her staggering steps, Alena suddenly bolted to the front of the group, stopping Ezra in his tracks before he could enter the hallway.

"No!" Alena said desperately as she spread her arms out, blocking the rebels from going through. "You shouldn't go in there!"

"Why not?" Ezra said, narrowing his blue eyes as Rex watched. "I can sense there's something important down there, Alena. We should go to it."

"And the fact that it's important is _exactly_ why I don't think we should go down there," Alena said as she turned to look down the dark hallway. "I feel like...like something bad will happen if we go down there. Like whatever's down there is so important that...that we might mess it up somehow if we try to interfere with whatever is going on. Or something bad might happen to us."

"What are you talking about?" Ezra said incredulously. "If it's important, that might mean that's where the Court members are."

"But it might _not_ be the Court that's down there," Alena said insistently.

"Well, even if it's not the Court, we should still see what's down there," Ezra said, starting to move forward again. "Whatever it is, we'll deal with it."

Despite the boy's decision, Rex still saw Alena vehemently shake her head in denial, and something twisted in his gut in anticipation of what would surely ensue next. " _No_ , Ezra, I don't think this is something you can deal with."

"And how would you know that?" Ezra challenged. "You haven't seen everything that I can do, Alena. Do _you_ even know what's down there?"

"No, I don't," Alena readily admitted. "But that doesn't mean we should mess with whatever it actually is. And besides, I may not know _everything_ you can do, but I can read you in the Force. And what I can sense tells me that you wouldn't be able to handle it."

Ezra still shook his head, looking to Rex like he'd finally had enough of Alena. Truth be told, Rex wasn't sure _what_ exactly was going on, but he also wasn't sure just charging down that corridor was the wisest idea. After all, what if Kent was down there? Thinking of the man sent a shiver down the clone's spine, hating and fearing how quickly they'd all been defeated by that man by himself, even Ezra.

Rex was pulled out of his thoughts by Ezra's raised voice. "Look, Alena, maybe the fact that you're not ready to fight yet is influencing what you see in the Force. Maybe you don't want to fight while you're this way, but I _am_ going down this corridor, and you can either move, or I'll _make_ you move!"

"Maybe _you're_ the one that's being influenced by what you want to see in the Force, Ezra!" Alena shot back as she stayed between Ezra and the corridor. "Did you ever think that? Maybe _you're_ the one that's not thinking clearly!"

As Ezra drew in his breath to no doubt shout out his next answer, the building began to rumble lowly, then quickly picked up its pace until it shook the rebels violently. Rex struggled to keep his balance, as did the other rebels. Suddenly, Rex saw something coming quickly through the right hallway. Whatever had happened, it was causing a long crack to snake through the hallway's floor until it stopped at Alena and Ezra's feet. As it did so, Rex spied the entryway of that hallway begin to rapidly crumble into large rocks.

Heading right for Alena and Ezra.

His heart in his throat, Rex couldn't even shout out a warning before the rocks hurtled down toward the two Humans. In the split second before the rocks hit the ground, Alena looked up and pushed Ezra away from the rocks, causing him to stumble back into the other rebels. As the rocks hit the ground with a sickening _crunch_ , dust clouds shot up from the floor, keeping Rex from seeing what was happening. He closed his eyes for a moment as he shielded his face from the dust, coughing as he did so. When the dust cleared, Rex looked around quickly to see who all was there as he got up. Zeb, Sabine, Hera, and Ezra were getting up, too.

But...as Rex looked frantically, there was no trace of Alena. And the last place he'd seen her was where the rocks were.

 _What happened to her?_

* * *

Alena coughed as she slowly opened her eyes, rolling to her side as she regained consciousness. Dimly, she tried to remember what had happened. The last thing she remembered was seeing those rocks coming down, shoving Ezra out of the way and falling back from them.

As she got up, Alena spied the wall of rocks in front of where there would have been the doorway. Apparently, when she'd fallen back into the corridor, the rocks had blocked her from the entryway. She was trapped in the hallway where she had tried to warn the rebels away from.

Spying her comlink on the ground next to her, the teenaged Human picked it up and tapped in Rex's comm code. Within a few seconds, Alena heard Rex's voice coming through. "Hello?"

"Rex, this is Alena," Alena said quickly.

"Alena! What happened?" Rex said with concern.

"I fell back into the hallway, but I'm fine," she reassured him. "The rocks are blocking me from getting back to you, though."

"Stay there; we'll move the rocks," Rex said quickly.

"No!" Alena said, her mind back on what they had set out to do. "You have to find the Court before the Saviors kill them. You need to get to them."

"But what about you?" Rex said. "It's not safe to leave you with any Saviors down there, especially when you're weakened."

"Like I said, I'll be okay," Alena said. "You need to focus on the mission. I'll find a way back to you all before you know it. Now get going!"

"I hope you're right," was all Rex said before ending the transmission.

Looking down the corridor, Alena stumbled down it, keeping one hand on the wall to keep her balance. Whatever she found down there, she just hoped she wouldn't mess up whatever was happening.

* * *

"Victoria!" Kent growled as he faced her again, panting from the exertion of using magic. He couldn't understand why he couldn't squash her like the traitorous gnat she was. He'd tried to knock her out with a punch to the temple, but she'd dodged away and kicked him in the stomach. Then he'd tried to use the Force on her to kick up dirt in her eyes, but to no avail; she'd simply redirected it away from herself. With everything he threw at her, he just couldn't keep her down for long. But the good news was that Victoria couldn't take _him_ down, either.

But he had to end this. Soon. He couldn't have his Saviors exposed if Victoria was right about the police.

With a yell, Kent threw a fireball at Victoria. As she was distracted with deflecting it, he saw his opening and took it. Before Victoria had her full attention on the older man again, Kent lunged forward and grabbed her wrists, holding them away from her body. Victoria looked at him with a smoldering green glare and attempted to kick out at him, but Kent blocked the attacks, rendering her physical attacks useless. Kent stared at Victoria as she returned the stare back at him, both appearing to be at an impasse for a split second.

Then, as Kent stared, his anger and rage finally boiled over, and he let his anger finally take over as he saw red. Screaming out madly at Victoria, the last thing he remembered was a flash of bright light.

* * *

As he came to, the first thing Kent realized was that there was something... _cold_ , and metallic-feeling, on each of his wrists. As his eyes groggily opened, he also realized that he was lying flat on the ground. Slowly sitting up, he rubbed one of his hands against his forehead. As he did so, Kent saw what was on his wrists.

Handcuffs. Only these didn't look like any handcuffs he'd ever seen. For one thing, they weren't connected together, as modern handcuffs normally were. Instead, his hands were completely free to move without limit. Also, these cuffs were longer in length, ending halfway up to his elbow, and looked much thinner than normal, bulkier cuffs.

"So, you're awake. It took you long enough." Kent whipped his head around to stare at Victoria as her voice interrupted her thoughts. Rage coursed through his veins at seeing her exhausted form, and he jumped to his feet.

"You!" Acting on instinct, Kent threw out a fireball at Victoria. Or, at least, he tried. To his complete surprise, no fire was generated from his fingers. Staring at his hand, Kent was shocked. He'd always been strong with magic; it had always come naturally to him. And it had _always_ come at his command. But not then. "What?"

"Yes, I suppose you would be surprised about that. I wasn't completely sure it'd work, but I trusted my tests."

"What do you mean?" Kent growled.

"Your cuffs, of course," Victoria replied coolly. "I designed them to inhibit the physical manifestation of your powers. You won't be able to use magic as long as those cuffs adorn your wrists."

At those words, Kent frantically attempted to pry the cuffs off his wrists, but to no avail. The cuffs were as tight on his forearms as when he'd first noticed them. "No!" he cried, unable to accept it. "No, you couldn't have beaten me! You're weak!"

"Not as weak as you think," Victoria replied with narrowed eyes. "But you provided the distraction needed to put those on your wrists when you, unintentionally, it seems, called down that lightning bolt."

"Lightning bolt?" Kent looked up in question and, for the first time, heard the telltale sound of crackling fire. Turning around, he noticed the Capitol building was on fire, the flames licking at the walls and quickly moving further into the building. "I don't remember that."

"That's because it knocked you out." Victoria said matter-of-factly as she walked closer to Kent. "I redirected the lightning to the building as you were knocked unconscious. But don't think I'm done quite yet." With those words, Kent registered the pain of her fist connecting to his temple before everything went black again.

* * *

Ezra ran through the corridor with the _Ghost_ crew, hoping that this next door would reveal the Court members. However, when they opened the door, they found something else.

"A fire?" Ezra said confusedly. Sure enough, flames were hurriedly encompassing the interior of room they had just entered, steadily moving toward the group. The fire was so hot, Ezra could feel the heat on his face, even though it was still several feet away. "How is there a fire in the Capitol?"

"No idea, kid," Rex answered as the old clone began to step away from the flames moving closer. "But we should probably leave the building. A fire that moves that quickly...well, there won't be much left of this building soon."

"But we haven't found the Court members yet!" Ezra said. "We can't let the Saviors kill them!" As he spoke, one of the support beams on the ceiling cracked and fell as the flames consumed it, falling to the ground just in front of the rebels.

"Ezra, we don't have time to argue about this," Hera put in, pointing to the fire. "We can't put ourselves at risk of being trapped in this fire. We'll have to go."

"But what about Alena?" Ezra said, feeling like he couldn't just _run_ like a coward. "She's still in here somewhere!"

"We'll just have to trust that she's made it out safely." Hera said with authority as she moved to the exit. "But we have to leave. That is an _order_ , Ezra."

Reluctantly, Ezra conceded, following the group as they made their way out of the Capitol. He _hated_ acting like a coward. He wanted to _fight_.

* * *

Alena coughed heavily as she ran as fast as she could for the opening in front of her, even in her weakened state. If she could just make it outside...

 _Foom!_

The burning beams just above the opening crashed down in front of her, sealing off her only way out of the building. Looking around frantically, Alena hoped she'd missed a doorway, or a window, or _something_ that would get her away from the fire. But all she could see was a wall of flames surrounding her.

Her eyes watered from the smoke, and she coughed harshly again, the smoke settling into her lungs. She knew she wouldn't last much longer.

As she fell to her knees, she weakly reached out and concentrated, trying to use magic to stop the flames.

But she was still too weak.

* * *

 _Violet looked over the smoldering remains of her hometown and sneered. Such a_ weak _place. They all deserved what happened to them._ That _was what she was there to do._ That _was her destiny then, and she wasn't going to feel sorry for a bunch of weaklings. The strong survive, while the weak die._

 _And yet...she still felt empty inside._

 _"Was it worth it, then?" Violet turned to the unexpected voice and summoned a fireball, ready to throw it at the intruder._

 _Dakota Farthing, back again._

 _"What are you doing here?" Violet snarled darkly at the younger girl, her fireball still ignited in her hand._

 _Dakota looked unfazed by Violet's hostility, and stepped closer to the brunette. "Well, that is a complicated question. Maybe I came to see how you're doing."_

 _"Don't act like you_ care _." Violet spat out. "If you'd cared, you wouldn't have fought against me. You're my_ enemy _now."_

 _"I was keeping you from making a mistake I_ know _you'd regret one day, even if you don't know it yet." Dakota said calmly as a sorrowful look entered her eyes._

Pity _, Spero spoke in Violet's mind._ She thinks you're _weak_.

 _"Shut up!" Violet barked out, too irritated to listen. Dakota raised an eyebrow at her words, but didn't comment. "You don't know_ anything _, Da_ kota _. I'm not going back. I won't be_ weak _, like you. All that power, and you don't use it for_ anything _."_

 _"Wait and see." Dakota said as she turned away. "But just know this: when you need me, I'll be there. I'm_ still _your friend."_

 _With those words, she disappeared, leaving Violet alone with her thoughts. No...not_ Violet _._

 _Pyra, indeed._

* * *

 _A/N: So, again, reviews are much appreciated, and have a good spring break!_


	20. The Second Crux

_A/N: Well, I'm back from spring break, and, I also have to say: was that finale of_ Rebels _great or what? Also, the reason I'm not using line breaks for this chapter is because the button for it on the Fanfiction Document Manager file has disappeared for some reason. Finally, thank you Guest reviewer Mogor for commenting on my last chapter. In answer to the question of Alena's fate, well...let's just say you'll have to wait and see for now._

o-o-o-o

 **Chaper 19: The Second Crux**

Scales Daladob walked leisurely through the door of his apartment, his light green eyes shining with a smug light. It had been a good day. Or it was about to be, anyway. He expected his comm to go off at any moment. Then, the excitement would begin.

Scales smiled to himself as he opened his double-deluxe conservator, taking out various food items: some nuna here, a gruffle there, and some blue milk, to name a few. Yes, everything was going according to plan. And _nothing_ was going to keep him from what he deserved this time.

"Scales Daladob."

The overweight human jumped at the sudden voice behind him, and turned to see someone who hadn't been sitting at his table a second before.

Victoria.

o-o-o-o

Rex burst out of the Capitol building, followed by the other rebels, and let out a sigh of relief. They had been able to escape the fire with minimal injuries, thankfully. Rex's eyebrows furrowed as he looked around, though. He had hoped that Alena would have been able to meet them outside, but there was no sign of her. And while he figured that she must have escaped the fire in the building somehow, he couldn't help but be a little worried. She hadn't even commed them, either. Where could she be?

The old clone was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts by a speeder's siren growing louder as it rounded the curve of a nearby block and stopped in front of the Capitol. Before any of the rebels could react, several other speeders quickly pulled up to the building as well, and they emptied out to reveal several Kalifan police officers. And all of them were pointing their blasters at the rebels.

One of them, the captain, from the looks of it, stepped forward with his drawn blaster. "Put the weapons _down_. I don't want to have to use this on any of you." He said gruffly as he looked at the _Ghost_ crew suspiciously. "Just drop the weapons and come quietly, _Saviors_."

"Saviors?" Ezra said incredulously to the captain. " _That's_ who you think we're with?"

"We got an anonymous tip that you Saviors were trying to assassinate the Court." The captain answered. "Until I'm told otherwise, I have to assume that you're with them. So, drop your weapons, and put your hands behind your heads. _Now_." The officer jerked his head to a group of other officers. "Circle the building, and see if you can find any other Saviors. And remember, _don't_ go into the Capitol until the firefighters get here."

Ezra looked like he was going to talk back to the captain again, but Hera spoke up as she dropped her blaster. "Everyone, let's do what they say. We'll get this mess straightened out if we comply with them." Hera ignored Ezra's intense blue gaze as she raised her hands above her head, imploring the others to reluctantly do the same. As Rex dropped his own blaster pistols, he saw Ezra reluctantly follow the others.

When the entire group had dropped their weapons and raised their hands, the captain looked satisfied. "Good choice, not putting up a fight. Now, let's go—"

"Captain!" The captain turned his head in annoyance, only to adopt a surprised expression at who was speaking to him.

"C-courtmember Nyon!" The captain said with surprise and, if Rex wasn't mistaken, nervousness. "What are you doing here?"

"The other courtmembers and I got an automatic call on our communicators about alarms going off in the Capitol." Nyon said as he surveyed the scene in front of him, even while other speeders came screaming down the road, these ones filled with firefighters, who soon began working on putting out the fire. "And from the looks of it, it seems I was right to worry. Now what's going on, and why are you arresting those people?"

"Well, sir, we received a tip about the Saviors being here, and we drove here to find this group just coming out the doors. We suspect they're with the Saviors, sir."

"Really?" Nyon said, not looking all too impressed. "Then why are they clearly not Kalifan-born? Have you seen their clothes, not to mention the make of their weapons?"

"Er, well, sir," the captain said, suddenly looking uncomfortable. "We haven't interrogated them yet, so we don't know anything about them yet."

"Well, I can certainly tell you something about them, Captain." Nyon said, his topaz eyes glinting like gold. "These are _not_ Saviors. These are people who came to this planet to ask for our help. They are not interested in harming this planet. Now, will you leave them be and go look for the real Saviors?"

"Er, um, yes sir," the captain stuttered, seemingly not knowing what else to say. He jerked his head at his officers, and they followed them into the Capitol, which was then safe to enter, thanks to the firefighters.

Rex and the others retrieved their weapons, and Rex let out another sigh of relief at their apparent stroke of luck. As he straightened up, he saw Nyon coming towards the rebels.

"Now," the silver-haired man began, "what happened here tonight?"

o-o-o-o

"Victoria," Scales began, putting on an air of nonchalance as he set his food on the kitchen counter, "whatever could bring you to my humble abode?"

"Well, I've just come from a place that will interest you greatly, and I thought you should know," Victoria said acidly, her dark green eyes glaring at the old man. "The Capitol building."

"You have?" Scales said, silently hoping the girl hadn't ruined his plans. He _needed_ the Saviors to be arrested. "And why would that be important to me?"

"Oh, I'm sure you would _love_ to know that your only son is being arrested now as we speak. It turns out he was the leader of the Saviors." Victoria said darkly, waiting for Scales's reaction.

Well, unfortunately for her, Scales had had decades of practice of putting on a mask to deceive others. He could do it to her, too. "Oh, he was?" Scales said coolly. "Well, I can't say I'm surprised; there was always something never quite right about that boy. Such a shame."

"Cut the act, Scales!" Victoria said angrily, surprising Scales with her vehemence. "We both know you've never felt any sort of concern about Kent."

Scales raised a quizzical eyebrow as he narrowed his eyes at Victoria, wanting to be sure before he said anything. "And what does that mean, Victoria?"

Victoria raised her chin defiantly as she looked Scales dead in the eyes. "I mean that I know that you're one of the Saviors' supporters, and I know that _you're_ the one who goaded Kent into starting the Saviors. I _also_ know that you sent that false message to the rebels about the Court meeting them, _and_ I know that you set your son up tonight. Face it, Daladob, I know _everything_."

"Oh, I doubt that," Scales growled. "But, how, exactly, did you become privy to that knowledge?"

"I didn't _just_ come back to Kalifa because of my...misfortune some time ago." Victoria said with narrowed eyes. "I _also_ came back to get answers. So, I've been investigating, and I found out just how deep your slimy fingers were tangled up in the Saviors, as well as...other things."

Scales smirked at the child's overconfidence. Much like her mother had been around that age, take a few more years. But he could use her, just like he'd used her mother all that time ago. "And what, per say, would that be, _child_?"

Victoria growled as she stood from her place at his table, taking something out of her pocket. It looked like a small holoprojector. "It took me quite some time to dig _this_ little gem up out of the recesses of the Capitol archives for all outgoing transmissions. You see, five years ago, I had peeked in on a holo conversation Rebecca had had the day before the Empire came for the Shadow Squadron. A conversation with _you_."

Flicking on the projector and laying it on the table as Scales walked forward and sat down while Victoria's eyes burned with hatred. "And _this_ is what I found."

Scales was treated to a slightly younger holo of himself as the conversation started. _"Commander Storm, do you copy?"_ He began with an impatient tone. _"Commander Storm! This is Courtmember Daladob! Do you copy?"_

Then, the holo flipped to an image of Rebecca Storm, standing at attention. _"Yes, Courtmember Daladob, what is it?"_

 _"The Court needs to know where you are, Commander,"_ the holo-Scales said coldly. _"What are your coordinates?"_

 _"Why?"_ Rebecca said quizzically, her eyebrows furrowing in concern. _"Why now, with all the attention we've given the Empire? Don't they know that knowing our coordinates can lead to danger if the Empire ever goes to Kalifa?"_

 _"Don't question the orders of the Court, Storm!"_ Scales said with a glare. _"At the moment, that information is classified for someone like_ you _! It is your duty to follow the orders of the Court, is it not?"_

 _"Yes, it is, but_ _—"_

 _"Then don't question things that aren't your business to know yet! Now, where are you?"_ Scales said angrily.

After a sigh, Rebecca relented. _"Very well, Courtmember, I'll give the Court our coordinates."_

The conversation was halted by Victoria tapping the projector again, and, turning her gaze on Scales, a shadow crossed her expression. "Now, I've been through the archives, as I said before, and there was absolutely no need for the Court to know the coordinates of the Shadow Squadron five years ago. And we both know there's only one explanation for why someone like _you_ would want to know the Shadow Squadron's coordinates."

Not seeing any reason to keep up his exhausting charade, Scales smirked as he leaned forward. "I must say, Victoria, you are a clever girl for figuring that out. I had thought that I'd deleted that conversation for sure. But you've managed to reconstruct it. _Very_ clever, indeed."

"Why did you do it, Scales?" Victoria growled out. "Why did you sell the Squadron out to the Empire?"

"Why," Scales began with a chuckle, "for the same reason that I set up my own son. For _power_. You see, that's all I've ever wanted. But when I became a member of the Court, I knew that the power my position gave me wasn't enough, not with the others fighting against everything I say all the time. So, I decided to overthrow it. But I had to be patient, you know, because someone can't just do that on a whim. I had to wait for the right people to come so I could manipulate them to do what I wanted. Rebecca was _easy_ ; people who don't _want_ to make their own decisions always are, especially with a past like _hers_. So was my son. Poor Kent, he was never able to see through me quite like you are, Victoria. And so have so many others on this planet."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but how exactly are you supposed to overthrow the Court, Scales?" Victoria asked skeptically.

Scales chuckled as he shook his head. "Why, by having the Saviors kill them, of course! That's why I sent the message to those rebel _scum_. I knew that Kent would intercept that message, and he'd move to strike the rebels _and_ the Court at the same time! And with the people not knowing about my machinations, it would be all too easy to rise as their ruler after having my son arrested and put on the death penalty!"

Victoria's face twisted into a sneer. "You'd have your own son killed just to rule the world?"

"You should know better, Victoria, I will do _anything_ to get the power I deserve. In fact, I'm expecting a call any moment now, saying they've found the bodies of the Court and the rebels, _and_ that they've found and extinguished the culprits. Any moment now, child."

Victoria raised her eyebrow skeptically. "You think _that's_ what happened, then?"

"Oh, I know it is," Scales gloated proudly, a sadistic smirk alighting on his face. "I've planned this for _years_ , and now nothing will stand in my way."

Scales expected Victoria to turn pale at his remark, but, surprisingly, her expression settled into neutrality as she sat back down again. "Oh, don't be too sure about that, Scales." Victoria said nonchalantly. "Because those messages you sent to the Court members asking them to go to the Capitol? They never went through."

Scales laughed heartily at Victoria's poor attempt at subterfuge. "Of course they went through! Like I told you, I had it all planned out from the beginning. There's...no way..." As the older man ran over his and the girl's conversation, however, he realized something that caused him to trail off into silence. "But...I didn't _tell_ you about how I got the Court there, did I?" At Victoria's nod, Scales slammed his fists against his table, his blood beginning to boil. " _What_ did _you_ do?" He growled out, his eyes narrowing into pinpricks.

"You're not the only that can play a long game, Scales." Victoria said with her infuriating nonchalance. "I simply stopped those messages from going out, because after I knew you were the secret supporter of the Saviors, I knew I had to keep a tight watch on you. So, I hacked your comm," she shrugged her shoulders casually, "and once I found the messages you sent to the Court, I made sure they wouldn't be seeing them so they could fall into your trap. Unfortunately for you, you didn't plan for everything."

"No...no matter," Scales said menacingly, determined to salvage the situation, "because you're not going to tell _anyone_ about what really happened here tonight."

"And, tell me, Daladob, why would I ever do that?" Victoria challenged, a strange gleam in her eyes.

"Because _I_ know _all_ your secrets, child. And no matter how you try to hide it, you _are_ your mother's daughter." At those words, Victoria stiffened, a darkness settling over her shoulders as she looked at him. "She was _weak_ , and so are you. We wouldn't want _everyone_ on the planet here to know what you _really_ are, _Dark Magician_." He sneered at the girl, knowing she would start sniveling as soon as he was done. They always did. "So you're not going to say a _word_ about this conversation. Not about Rebecca, and _nothing_ about the Saviors, either. You're going to be working for me for a long time, though, so you might as well beg for mercy, little girl." Finished gloating, he waited for the inevitable cries for his mercy, to be kind, and that she'd do _anything_ for him.

But Victoria stayed silent with an unreadable expression, even as the shadows around them seemed to cling to and cloak her like a second skin. The gloved hand that rested on the table dug into the wood as Victoria stood up. She turned to look out the nearby window, which had a clear view of the then-charred Capitol building.

And she stayed uncomfortably silent.

Finally, Scales couldn't take it anymore. He had to know why she wasn't bowing before him and kissing his shoes. "Well? What do you have to say to that?"

With her back still turned to the obese Human, Victoria's voice was deceptively soft and quiet. "I say... _no_."

"No?" Scales said incredulously, not being able to believe it. What was wrong with her? "What do you mean, _no_? Didn't you hear me? I can ruin your life with what I know about you! You should be bowing to my whims now! I could control your mother, after all, and I can control you too!"

"Except for one small, _insignificant_ detail," Victoria said with a growl, lifting her arms in front of her and tugging off her gloves. "I...am... _not_...my mother. _I_ won't let myself be controlled by _anybody_ anymore. And, unlike her, I won't get caught up in the illusion of deluding myself to see what I want to see. And I _will_ bring you to justice, Scales Daladob. That's why I'm here."

"Y-you can't!" Scales stuttered out, desperate to salvage where he could feel the conversation was heading. "I'm too important to the planet! The people will riot! Kalifa will burn if I'm not there to rule it!"

"And _that_ is where you are wrong, Daladob." Victoria growled quietly with her back still facing him. "You've always been on the sidelines of the court, using what little power and respect you had to get a foothold on the situation. You want to think you're important, but you're _not_. You never have been, and you never will be. Kalifa will live on without you, better than before, actually. But _you_ ," Victoria finally turned, showing her side to the Courtmember, though the shadows kept him from seeing her face, "you will _not_."

"What do you mean?" Scales said fearfully, beginning to stand up from the table and slowly back away. This wasn't at all going how he'd planned.

"I mean, that, since I am indeed what you say, Scales, a _Dark Magician_ , I will make you pay the way Dark Magicians do. After all...," Victoria raised one of her ungloved hands as she fully turned to Scales, allowing him to see a couple of unsettling new features. Mainly, the constricted, vertical pupils and the fact that her fingernails had elongated into claws. "...that's all I am now. And that's all I'll _ever_ be."

o-o-o-o

 _A/N: Leave a comment below on what you think, please, and I'll see you in two weeks!_

 _P.S. While I was rereading my chapters from_ Price of Duty _, I realized that I had accidentally written something in one chapter that would be an inconsistency later on in this trilogy project. So, I decided to edit it. The chapter is Chapter 14: Umbara from_ Price of Duty _, and you can reread it if you want, now that I've been able to edit out the error._


	21. A New Beginning

_A/N: Well, here is the next chapter, but I warn you: a lot of stuff happens in it. Also, thanks, Guest reviewer Mogor for commenting on my last chapter!_

o-o-o-o

 **Chapter 20: A New Beginning**

"...and then we came out of the Capitol and found you," Hera finished up after telling the Courtmember the rebels' story. For a moment, the man was silent, and he rested his hand on his chin as he thought. Finally, he looked up.

"Well, that is certainly...quite the tale," Nyon said solemnly, yet coolly. "Thank you for telling me. I will have to convene the Court about this conspiracy with the Saviors. It's clear that we've allowed them too much leeway, hoping they would just die out. But clearly, that's not going to happen unless we do something about it. I'll have my finest on the case."

Ezra let out a sigh of relief. He had been wondering if the Kalifan would believe their story since, even though it was true, it sounded kind of far-fetched, like the part about the leader of the Saviors being a disillusioned magical student of Rebecca Storm's. But for some reason, Nyon hadn't commented on that part.

Suddenly, the group heard a commotion from inside the building and looked up. Ezra's eyes widened and narrowed when he saw a squad of Kalifan officers exiting the Capitol building, whose fire had finally been put out, dragging a familiar enemy. The leader of the Saviors, Kent Daladob, who was currently attempting to fight his way out of the police officers' holds, but, surprisingly, to no avail. That surprised Ezra, who had seen the power the leader of the Saviors had first-hand. But it was like he had never even had magical powers to begin with.

"You'll pay for this!" Daladob shrieked crazily as he was pushed into the police speeder. "You'll see! I'll be back, and make _all_ of you pay! _Especially_ that traitorous witch!"

"Witch?" Ezra said curiously as he turned to Nyon. "Do you know what he's talking about?"

"Well...according to the police, the officers found him unconscious in the back courtyard of the Capitol, and there were signs of a struggle. And, since not many people without a physical connection to the Force are known for defeating magicians, it's safe to assume that another magician probably fought him before we were able to get to him."

"Any idea who that might be?" Hera put in.

The older man shook his head. "Not really; all the cameras in the courtyard were burned up in the fire, and I don't think Daladob will be able or willing to tell us who fought him at this point. We'll be at a dead end about that for a while. In the meantime—"

"Courtmember Nyon!" The captain ran up to Nyon hurriedly with a trepidous look on his face. "I think...there's something you should see. The firefighters just pulled a body from the building. Come with me."

Ezra's head jerked up at those words. _A body_. It couldn't be who he was thinking of, could it? And yet, as Ezra scanned the area around the Capitol as he and the rebels followed the captain with Nyon, his heart began to sink lower and lower. There was still no sign of her. And, if she wasn't outside, then that could only mean one thing.

The captain finally stopped where a few firefighters were kneeling on the ground by some the Capitol's rubble. One of them had knelt by her side, and was attempting to resuscitate her by pumping his hands repeatedly on her chest. But the firefighter's attempts had no effect on the body. And as Ezra's gaze traveled from her feet and burned clothes to her face, he knew who it was without a doubt.

Alena Dimitte.

Her face was covered with scorch marks, her eyes closed, and Ezra was sure that he could see what appeared to be bits of ash in her short, dark hair. He clenched his jaw angrily. She shouldn't have died that night. It should have been Kent.

"What happened to her?" Nyon asked the firefighters, staring sadly at the body as the one trying to resuscitate Alena finally quit, smashing any hope that she could have been saved.

"It's difficult to say, sir, but based on the rather minimal physical injuries she has, it's safe to say that she most likely succumbed to smoke inhalation rather than being burned to death." One of them answered. "We'll have to wait for the official report from the coroner's office, though."

Nyon nodded solemnly. "Alright, then, the next thing we should do is—"

Suddenly, with no warning, a huge explosion sounded out around the group. Ezra winced at the intensity of the apparent blast as he looked to the Capitol for any signs of a recurring fire. But it hadn't come from the Capitol.

As the group continued to look around, Ezra saw that Nyon realized where it had come from first as the older man's gaze fell on a location behind the young Jedi. Turning to follow the Kalifan's gaze, Ezra was struck still by the amount of flame rapidly spitting out of a building that looked to be only a few blocks away. He looked to Nyon as the Courtmember nodded to the police captain, who pulled out a speeder control and activated it, resulting in one of the speeders to scream around the corner to meet the group. As Nyon and the captain got in, he looked back to the rebels, who were standing in stunned silence.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get in!"

The group began to pile in, and Ezra snuck another look back at Alena's body as they drove away, feeling like he was abandoning her, even if she was already dead.

Pulling up to the burning building in what seemed like a matter of seconds, Ezra looked at the fire in amazement, which appeared to have started on one of the higher floors. He wasn't any firefighter, but he was pretty sure the fire at the Capitol hadn't been half as bad as the one that he was currently seeing as he watched the flames rapidly streak down the sides of the building with a crowd watching. Even as the firefighters began to arrive, Ezra had a feeling that they wouldn't be able to save the building from burning to the ground.

 _A witch..._

o-o-o-o

Later, Rex stared at what remained of the building, hardly able to believe that one fire could have burned down an apartment building over twelve stories high in just thirty minutes. It was like the fire had been unnatural, glowing a terrible white color as it had licked at that building. Not even the firefighters had been able to stop it, as the fire had turned the water from their hoses to steam. The best the firefighters had done was manage to vacate the building with a body.

 _A body_. Rex clenched his jaw at the thought of Alena's body. He still couldn't believe that she was...dead, gone as suddenly as Rebecca had been, out of his sight. And he hadn't even realized it. Another person he cared about, gone.

Rex focused back to the present as he looked at the Courtmember, who was staring at the body with a look of disbelief on his face. The old captain sidled up beside the man as he looked at the body, which had been covered up with a sheet except for the part that had been lifted up by a doctor kneeling next to it. All except for the face. "Any idea who this man is...was, sir?"

Nyon startled as he looked at Rex, then back at the body. "Un-unfortunately, I do. He's a member of the Court. Scales Daladob."

Rex raised his eyebrow at the other man's words as he looked at the now-familiar body, surprised not only at the fact that the only casualty to come out of that building had been a member of the Kalifan Court, but also because of something else. "Did you say...Daladob?"

Nyon sighed as he looked away from the body. "Yes, I did. The man who died in that building was Kent Daladob's father."

"That seems a little too...coincidental," Rex said as he narrowed his eyes in thought, "that the father of the man who was just arrested was suddenly killed in a freak fire."

"Actually, the fire wasn't what killed him," the doctor examining the Courtmember's body interrupted as he stood up, being careful to re-cover it. "His most severe injuries are deep tears and scratches all over his body, which are consistent with the attack of a large animal; perhaps an anuba."

"So...an animal killed Daladob?" Rex said incredulously. "But that doesn't explain the fire, or why the firefighters couldn't put it out until after it'd burned the building to the ground. It doesn't make any sense."

"As unlikely as it may seem, that is where the facts of the injuries that killed him lead to," the doctor said. "There is no doubt about it: this man was literally slaughtered by an animal. And I wouldn't lift that sheet, either," he added as he began to pack up the bag he'd brought with him. "The injuries are quite...graphic."

As the doctor left and the paramedics began to move the covered body, Nyon was silent, most likely deep in thought about what they'd just heard. Rex thought hard about it, too, but, like he'd told the doctor, it just didn't make sense. How did a large animal even get into that apartment building and, by some coincidence, manage to kill the father of the leader of the Saviors the night he was arrested?

Rex was pulled from his thoughts at the sound of Nyon speaking with the captain again. "Have you learned anything from the residents, captain?"

The Kalifan captain shook his head. "Not really, sir. The closest we've gotten to any information is that every single one of these residents remember feeling a sudden urge to leave the building just moments before the explosion happened."

"All of them felt that?" Nyon said incredulously. "You're sure? _Every_ last one?"

"Positive, sir; that's what they all recall."

Nyon pressed his lips to a thin line, an unreadable look washing over his face as the clone captain studied him. Finally, the Kalifan spoke. "Well, I don't think that we'll be able to get much else out of here, so—"

"Oh, wait, there's one more thing." The captain interrupted as he pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to the Courtmember. "We found this in Scales's pocket, completely unharmed. Not even a scratch."

"I see." Nyon said solemnly as he stared at the comlink resting in his hand. "I think it's time I call the rest of the Court in for this, if this reveals what I think it will. Afterwards, I believe we'll comm you."

o-o-o-o

"You called for me?" Victoria said doubtfully as she walked into the building the Court had promptly decided to use as a temporary Capitol building, apparently. The teenager narrowed her dark green eyes suspiciously at the Court minus one. _Scales_. The one who had, ultimately, ruined her life. So, in a way, she had gotten what she wanted, just like in the beginning when she had first left Kalifa.

Revenge.

Not that it mattered anymore. It was already too late.

Her attention was brought back to the Court as Alexander Nyon, the unofficial spokesperson of the Court, began, a soft look entering his topaz eyes. "Victoria, we are here because of something brought to our attention we could not ignore." The softness disappeared as he adopted a sterner expression. "Tonight, not only was Kent Daladob, the leader of the Saviors, arrested, but his father and fellow Courtmember, Scales Daladob, was also killed in his apartment. We found a comlink on Scales's body, as well. We've just finished examining it, and do you know what was on it?"

Victoria pressed her lips into a thin line. She'd have to play her cards right. No matter how understanding Nyon would probably be, he was bound by the laws of Kalifa, which prohibited trivial things like murder and vigilantism. "No, sir, I do not."

"Well, on that comlink, we found an archived conversation between Scales Daladob and Rebecca Storm from five years ago. According to it, Scales had convinced Rebecca to give him the coordinates for the location of Shadow Squadron. He'd claimed he was asking on the orders of the Court, but we never had any meetings about anything close to that at that time. Based on this conversation, and the fact that we have never been able to figure out how the Empire had found the Squadron in the first place, the Court believes it is safe to conclude that Scales Daladob most likely gave that information to the Empire. But," Alexander held up his hand as Victoria opened her mouth again, "there was more we found, too. There was also another recorded conversation on that comm that looks like it had been recorded very recently. In it, there was a one-sided audio recording of Scales Daladob implicating himself in not just the Empire defeating Shadow Squadron, but also in the founding of the so-called 'Saviors of Kalifa' themselves," Alexander said distastefully, his face twisting into a sneer as he spoke, no doubt angry about Daladob's betrayal. The other members of the Court nodded in agreement as Alexander continued. "Now, Victoria, the Court wants to know the truth from you: did you have any knowledge about any of this information?"

Victoria felt her left eye give a slight twitch as she readied herself to lie, though she _hated_ lying to one of her mother's oldest friends, speaking clearly, "I'm afraid I don't, Courtmember Nyon. I'm sorry I couldn't help you."

"I see." Alexander answered, an unreadable expression crossing his face. "Well then, now that we've gotten that out of the way, there is one more thing the Court wishes to speak to you about, Victoria."

Victoria raised an eyebrow incredulously as she absentmindedly tugged on her tight ponytail. What could they possibly want with someone like _her_? "And what is that, sir?"

o-o-o-o

Afterwards, Victoria walked out of the building the Court meeting had been held in, still finding it hard to believe. How could they all put her in that position? What was wrong with them? With _Alexander_? She _knew_ that he knew about her, and he still decided to see fit to trust her. How could he even _think_ that, after what she'd done? It didn't make any sense.

"Victoria." The teenaged girl turned at the sound of her name being called out, seeing Alexander walk out to join her. The older man had a kindly twinkle in his eyes, just like he'd looked at her when she was young. When she was...not the same as she was then.

"What is it, Nyon?" Victoria asked, crossing her arms in front of her as she studied the Kalifan Courtmember. There was absolutely no sign whatsoever that he appeared to regret his decision, or, rather, the decision the _Court_ made.

"I just wanted to tell you..." Nyon began, looking uncertain for a moment, before settling his hand on Victoria's shoulder. "I'm sorry for your loss, and that I wasn't there for you."

Victoria blinked in surprise. Nobody, not even Alena, had actually _said_ that they were sorry for her loss since she'd returned to Kalifa, and even beforehand, what with the Empire invading and all. "Uh...thanks?" Victoria settled on uncertainly, not really sure what to say to a condolence that had been five years too late.

"And...I also want you to know that, I know things have been hard for you lately." Alexander said, his eyes looking on her kindly. "And I know that this probably won't lessen your burden, but I want you to know this: I believe in you, Victoria. You have your family's fire in your eyes, and I believe that it _will_ get better for you, given time." He smiled kindly at the struck-silent Victoria and squeezed her shoulder before setting off into the night.

For a moment, Victoria stood silently, not sure what to make of the man's words. Then, with a toss of her ponytail, she shook off the shock she'd felt at knowing that he didn't hate her, walking with no real direction in mind until she came to a certain building that housed a certain someone. The capital's jail, with Kent Daladob inside.

 _Kent Daladob_.

Victoria clenched her fist angrily at her side. She'd sensed the moment Alena had succumbed to the smoke surrounding her in the Capitol, and she'd known that it had happened because of Kent's idiocy and his childish tantrum tendencies. She could have killed him when she'd defeated him, but she knew she had had to act then to put an end to Scales Daladob. So, she'd pushed it aside until she had a quiet moment to herself. Then she let the anger take over.

How _dare_ Kent do something like that? Victoria should have known better than to trust that something even _slightly_ good for her wouldn't last. And Alena was dead. Just like Dakota. Rebecca. Her _mother_. Just like with them, she'd never gotten to say goodbye to Alena.

Looking at the jail, Victoria had a sudden urge to go inside, find Kent, and kill him like she'd done to his father. She felt her fingers inch toward her lightsaber as she thought about it. The world would be better off without someone like Kent around, even if he was incarcerated at the moment.

But as she grasped her lightsaber, she couldn't help but hear Alexander's words reverberate throughout her skull again.

 _I believe in you._

And, reluctantly, she let go of her lightsaber.

o-o-o-o

The next day, the rebels stood around a hole in the ground, watching the body of their Kalifan friend be lowered into the ground. Rex bowed his head sadly as he watched the coffin settle into the hole. Besides them, the only other person that had come to Alena's funeral was a man who called himself Odin; apparently, he had been a good friend of Alena's before her...death. He had also offered to speak at the funeral.

"We are here today in honor of someone we all knew," Odin began in an unexpectedly loud, projecting voice that the group winced at. Rex did wonder about that, even as the Kalifan man's gaze wandered off to the side of the group, as though there were someone behind them. "Alena Dimitte. She was a bright young woman who was able to see Kalifa's need, and took steps to ensure change would come on her planet by aligning with a group of people who had the power to do so." Odin nodded at the rebels as he continued. "And, like anybody, while she was not perfect, she did not let her mistakes keep her from doing what was right. Now, I knew her quite well over the years, as I was friends with her mentors, Rebecca Storm and Dakota Farthing. And while she was certainly not the strongest of their students, she nevertheless was one of the most vibrant, always optimistic about life, and seeing her teachers as ones who could be trusted to tell the truth about everything. When they died, she _did_ lose hope for a time, however. But with the rebels came an opportunity to right her wrongs of languishing in limbo on Kalifa. She went with them to stop a large threat to Kalifa, and died doing what she wanted: helping Kalifa. While she is dead in body, I believe she lives on in the Force, and that her legacy can be lived through the lives of the people here." Odin's eyes wandered behind the group again as he finished his speech, and this time Rex followed his gaze, feeling his breath catch at who he saw standing underneath the trees a distance behind them with an unreadable expression, arms crossed over her chest.

 _Victoria Violetta._

Out of the corner of his eye, Rex saw Ezra turn, and the boy's eyes narrowed at the girl standing in the shadows. Ignoring the Jedi, Victoria's gaze wandered over the group solemnly, locking her dark green gaze with the clone captain's brown one for a moment. Then, when Rex blinked, all he saw again were trees, as though she had never been there to begin with.

But she had been.

o-o-o-o

Ezra walked through the cantina, jaw clenching as he saw Victoria cleaning the counter tops and tables. "Well, look what we have here. A _traitor_."

Victoria stiffened at the teenager's words and turned around, regarding the young Jedi coolly. "And what, may I ask, makes me a traitor?"

"Well, besides the fact that you work for the Saviors, I bet you were there last night at the Capitol. With Kent Daladob. _And_ I bet you started that explosion at the apartment building that killed one of the Courtmembers." Ezra spat out. He hadn't been sure at first, but the more he had thought about it, the more the answer became clearer. For one thing, she was a Savior, and would benefit from the death of even one Courtmember. She was also a magician, like Kent, and Kent had talked about a witch as he'd been taken away by the police. He'd even conversed with the holocron about Victoria, and it agreed with him. Unlike Victoria, he trusted the Sith holocron knew what it was talking about. There was no other explanation.

"And how, might I ask, can you prove it?" Victoria asked as she raised an eyebrow casually. "After all, I hear all the cameras in the area were destroyed."

"Yeah, I bet you know all about it," Ezra growled out as his blue eyes drilled into Victoria's unflinching demeanor. "And my crew know me; they trust me about these things."

"Be that as it may, you still didn't answer my question." Victoria pointed out. "I asked you how you're going to _prove_ it, not how you _know_ it. After all, a trial is pointless without solid evidence against the defense. But I doubt you care much for the intricacies of politics, don't you?"

Ezra gritted his teeth angrily. "Well, that doesn't matter. I know what kind of threat you are now, and I'll do what it takes to keep you from ruining our plans." He started to reach for his lightsaber, but paused when he took in Victoria's small, patronizing smile. "What?"

"Oh, it's just that I think you should think hard about who you're dealing with, if I am indeed the culprit you believe I am." Victoria said, a dark shadow coming over her face. "After all, the one who defeated not just the Daladobs, but also burned an entire apartment building down, would obviously be a very strong, powerful, _dangerous_ opponent. And, if you had no chance against Kent Daladob, what chance do you think you have against _me_?" The shadows seemed to gather closer to the girl as she spoke, a dark tone gradually seeping into her words. "And, I doubt randomly _killing_ someone without _real_ proof of their wrongdoings is something that will get you on the Court's good side, now isn't it?"

Ezra was so mad at Victoria he couldn't think straight. "You...you..."

"...have no power here, Ezra _Bridger_." Victoria said with narrowed eyes. "And I suggest you leave, before things turn into something you can't control. And I know how much you _love_ to control things."

Ezra clenched his jaw again as he glared at Victoria. "Fine. Maybe I can't prove it, but I _know_ you did it. I know you killed the Courtmember, set the fire, _and_ killed Alena, no matter _what_ anyone says." The last part was a bit of a stretch, but Ezra just _knew_ Victoria had had something to do with Alena's death. He knew he was proven right as Victoria stiffened, an unreadable expression on her face.

She turned away for a moment, clenching one of her gloved hands into a fist, before regaining her composure and turning back to Ezra, sidling up beside him until they were separated by a hair's breadth. "You know _nothing_ about what happened that night, _boy_. You have no idea who I am."

With those raspy words, she disappeared out the cantina's entrance, leaving Ezra behind.

o-o-o-o

"Well, this is it," Hera said later as the _Ghost_ crew stood just outside the new Kalifan Courtroom. "We'll finally find out what the Court's decision is. Now, remember, if they've decided not to join us, don't push them. We need to respect their decision."

Rex nodded with the others as they walked through the room's entrance to finally meet the Court again. As the Court came into view, sitting at a table, Rex couldn't help but feel a little trepidation. After everything they had gone through, he wasn't sure if he could stand knowing all their efforts had been all for naught, if that was the case. Not after learning about Alena...and Rebecca. Now he'd lost the only connection he had to her.

"Phoenix Squadron," Courtmember Nyon began regally, "after much debate, especially with the new evidence that's come to light about deceased Courtmember Daladob's blatant betrayal to Shadow Squadron _and_ his now known involvement in forming the Saviors and attempting to overthrow the Court—"

 _What?_

"—we believe that the time has come for Kalifa to repent for these crimes. So, we have decided to allow Kalifa to give its support to the rebel cell known as Phoenix Squadron. We will join you."

Still reeling from learning of a Courtmember having planned to destroy Kalifa's government, Rex took a moment longer to process the Court's words. When he finally did, it was accompanied with a feeling of utter relief. Finally, the rebels would have support they needed. He looked back up at the Court as Hera answered, "Thank you for choosing to help us, Courtmembers. You won't regret this."

Nyon nodded at Hera as he spoke again. "I hope not, and to be sure, we're going to be sending someone with you to serve as Kalifa's representative. She will report back to us on your plans and actions regularly."

Rex raised his eyebrows in surprise as Hera spoke up again. "Oh? Well, I hope you've chosen someone trustworthy."

Nyon nodded again as he spoke and gestured behind them. "And here is our representative behind you." As Rex turned and saw who it was, he had an uneasy feeling in his stomach, but also curiosity, for some reason. "Victoria Violetta."

o-o-o-o

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!" Ezra said later on the _Ghost_. "Of all the Kalifans on this planet, they had to choose _her_? A _Savior_?"

"Ezra, none of us like this any more than you do," Hera said reasonably as the rebels prepared the ship to take off back to the rebel base. "But it's out of our hands. It's not our decision who the Kalifan representative should or should not be."

"But—but it's _Victoria_!" Ezra said emphatically. He couldn't believe the rebels were just going to accept and _trust_ her, after everything that had happened because of her and the _Saviors_.

"I know, Ezra, but the Court doesn't see her as a Savior since she gave them all the information on the Saviors in exchange for immunity. We'll just have to be careful around her."

"I wouldn't bet on that." Ezra whipped around and clenched his jaw at seeing Victoria again, still not being able to believe she was actually going with them. "After all, I _am_ to be Kalifa's representative at your base, and the Court expects me to be treated the same as you'd treat anyone else joining your cause. Because how _you_ treat me extends to how you treat _Kalifa_ , and if you think you can get away with keeping secrets, don't, because I'll find what I want, one way or another," she said as a dark look entered her eyes. "The Court trusts me to do my job, and now you have to do the same, no matter how much you don't want to, since you _need_ me to keep Kalifa's support. So, like it or not, you have no choice in this matter."

o-o-o-o

As the _Ghost_ was en route to the rebel base via hyperspace travel, Captain Rex walked out of the corridor leading to the cockpit and immediately saw Victoria sitting at the table the ship had in its small mess. He pressed his lips into a thin line as he saw her with her small box of possessions she'd taken with her, meaning to walk right by her, but the teenaged girl looked up and saw him.

"Captain," she said noncommittally, raising an eyebrow at the old clone.

Not knowing what else to do, Rex simply said, "Victoria," and made to go on his way, but was stopped by Victoria's voice ringing out again.

"Still think I can't be trusted, old timer?"

Sighing tiredly, Rex turned back to Victoria and regarded her, not hesitating when he answered. "No, I don't think you can be, Victoria. Even if you're Kalifa's representative in the rebel cell, that doesn't erase everything you did when you were on Kalifa. Spying on us for the Saviors, refusing to heal Ezra from a deadly poison just out of spite for Alena, and then, when the Saviors were exposed for what they are, you ran to the Court to get immunity for being a Savior. You manipulated every situation on Kalifa to get what you wanted, and I don't think you have any real loyalty for anyone or anything, just what benefits _you_. So, no, I'm afraid I don't trust you. And I don't think I ever will, if you insist on being this way."

Rex narrowed his brown eyes at Victoria as she rolled her own green ones dismissively, even as a shadow crossed her face. "Well, then, I guess we're in the same boat. Because _I_ certainly don't trust you, or the other rebels. _Especially_ not that Ezra Bridger. Maybe you don't want to see it, but I can. He's becoming a person you won't like, if he keeps on his current path."

"And what kind of person do you think that is?" Rex challenged, even though he had to admit to himself there had been times lately when Ezra had seemed...different. But he had no reason to trust anything Victoria said.

"He's becoming like _me_ ," Victoria said, looking at Rex with a raised eyebrow, as though daring him to challenge her claim. "There's another reason why I didn't heal Ezra of nightlocke that night, and it had nothing to do with spiting Alena Dimitte. It's because, if he keeps on this path, dying from nightlocke poison would be far better than what he can do in the future. And you won't be able to stop him when that happens!"

"And why should I believe you?" Rex said as he narrowed his eyes at the Kalifan girl. "You haven't exactly proven that your word can be trusted, you know."

Victoria scoffed dismissively as she rose from her seat. "Oh, I didn't tell you that so you'd _trust_ me. I'm just telling you so _you_ can't blame me later on if it _does_ happen, but, honestly, I don't know why I'm even telling you if you're just going to dismiss it simply because you don't like me. You'd do well to be on your guard around that boy."

Rex shook his head in disbelief at Victoria's blatant disregard for who Ezra was. "That's not who he is, Victoria."

"Maybe not now," Victoria admitted as she turned her back on Rex, picking up her box. "But it _will_ happen; don't make a mistake about that."

"You don't know that will happen." Rex argued as he crossed his arms over his chestplate. "You don't know the future, after all."

Victoria scoffed again as she made to leave the room. "I have a pretty good idea, remember? Like I said before, Ezra Bridger is a lot like me."

o-o-o-o

 _A/N: So, yeah...all that just happened. While Alena's fate was sad, it was necessary for the rest of the story I have in mind, just so you all know. Sorry! Leave a comment on the chapter, please!_

 _Anyway, up next we have the epilogue, and then_ Remnants of the Storm _will be officially over! See you in two weeks!_


	22. Epilogue

_A/N: Well, this is the epilogue chapter, and you all know what that means:_ Remnants of the _Storm has officially come to a close. It's been a good ride, and I thank you all for reading this story! But don't think it's over yet! After all, I still have Part 3 of this trilogy to get through for you! Unfortunately for you, it's probably going to take quite a while due to factors like schoolwork and family crises, so don't expect to see any new postings for some time. Also, thank you, BraveSeeker3, for putting my story on alert; the support is much appreciated!_

 **Epilogue**

Far away, in another system, on a darkened planet, a man listened to a communication by a servant of his.

"I see," he said as he heard from one of his spies on his holoprojector. "Thank you for the information. You will be rewarded for it."

"Yes, Lord Daku," the spy from Kalifa said before the communication was ended. Daku swept a hand over his dark blonde hair as he considered the magnitude of what he'd just heard about one of his former students. His most promising servant, his top lieutenant, now his most traitorous enemy.

Victoria Violetta.

o-o-o-o

 _Daku stood on the landing platform as he spotted one of his ships coming in, pacing in agitation. Moments before, he had received a transmission from that very ship, and what he'd heard from his servants was...troubling. His top lieutenant, the Shadow, had never disobeyed him or his orders before. What had happened to make that change?_

 _The ship finally settled on the landing platform, and the ramp lowered from it, revealing Daku's black-clothed magicians holding a teenaged girl in the same attire as they disembarked. As they stepped onto the platform, the prisoner raised her brunette head, revealing vibrant, dark green eyes that defiantly glared at the leader of the Dark Magicians._

 _"How could this have happened?" Daku barked at one of his magicians, who shifted nervously at his leader's obviously volatile mood._

 _"Well, sir, it's just as we told you on the comm before landing_ _. One moment she was one of us, and the next...she just wasn't_ _. We're not sure why she did it._ "

 _Daku looked upon his restrained lieutenant with disgust, his normally calm face constricting into a horrific sneer as he grabbed the prisoner's chin with one hand, his nails elongating into sharp claws that painfully dug into her skin as he pulled her forward from the others._

 _"Is this true, Shadow?" Daku growled out quietly in the silence of the hangar bay, "How could you go against our cause? How could you do this and betray your own_ superior _, whom you've served for almost five_ years _?_ What _changed?"_

 _Even as she grunted from the claws scratching into her face, she still had the gall to look her lord in the eye and disobey his order, keeping silent. How_ dare _she betray someone like_ him _? Her king, her_ master _._

 _But no matter. She'd soon realize the mistake she made once he..._ convinced _her of her folly._

o-o-o-o

But that day, she hadn't taken back her mistake. Not that day, not any day after. Not even when she was at the mercy of the worst punishments imaginable. But Daku knew that he'd still gotten to her in some way, at the very least, for her character did not change, even when she thought she was safe on her homeworld of Kalifa after he'd banished her from his planet. She still took his teachings to heart, to still be merciless and ruthless, never trusting anything or anyone. She'd passed his test after all. But she still wasn't sorry for her mistake, and that was something the Dark Magician could not contend with. No one had _ever_ gotten away with crossing him and not living to regret it.

And _now_...it was time for his true plan for her punishment to begin, especially now that Victoria had joined the Phoenix Squadron. Oh, he knew her mind better than she did. Even if she denied it, the Dark Magician knew that, deep down inside, she wanted what that squadron could give her if she let them.

May the Force forbid it if she ever decided to take that chance. And _that_ , that was something Daku could _never_ let happen. Besides, he knew that if he left her to her own devices, one day, she'd let down her guard, and she'd start to _hope_ again.

Victory was so much sweeter when he was able to literally _crush_ the hope of his victims as they watched, finally relenting to his will that he could _never_ be stopped, and that everything that had happened was because _they_ forced his hand. Especially _Victoria_.

Daku opened his comlink to another one of his spies, whom he had deployed on assignment just less than three months prior. But this wasn't any spy. She was one of the _best_ , his finest servant after the Shadow's betrayal.

"Viper," Daku began authoritatively. "It's time for you to take action regarding your assignment. Here's what you need to do."

 _Nobody_ had ever escaped his wrath and not lived to regret it. Nobody ever would. Not even Victoria.

o-o-o-o

 _A/N: Well,_ Remnants of the Storm _was a very enjoyable story for me to write, and I hope you all agree too! Leave a comment below on what you thought of it, please!_


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